The rising U.S. syphilis rate appears to be disproportionately striking minority gay and bisexual men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Monday.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that can be easily cured with antibiotics in the early stages. But many people do not have symptoms early on, or don't recognize the symptoms, and continue to transmit the infection.
In the U.S., syphilis has been on the rise since 2000, when the national rate hit an all-time low of 2.1 cases per 100,000 people.
That increase has been largely among men, who had a rate of just under 8 cases per 100,000 in 2009 (versus 1.4 cases per 100,000 women), according to the CDC. And studies have suggested that gay and bisexual men now account for a majority of new syphilis cases.
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Complete article at Reuters : http://reut.rs/qwqvAA
