$Unique_ID{BRK00024}
$Pretitle{Infections and Parasites}
$Title{Has Syphilis Disappeared?}
$Subject{sex syphilis antibiotic}
$Volume{A-7}
$Log{
Syphlis in a male*0006402.scf}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Has Syphilis Disappeared?


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QUESTION:  With new cries for safe sex, has syphilis disappeared?

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ANSWER:  This is an interesting question, though the answer is rather sad.
Syphilis still remains a major health problem with serious consequences.  In
the first three months of 1987, over 8,000 cases of early syphilis were
reported in the United States, marking a 23 percent increase over the same
period in 1986.  The largest percent of the increase occurred in New York,
California, and Florida, affecting heterosexual blacks and women the most.
     Because safe sex and disease control are major current concerns, this
rapid upturn in syphilis is an important issue and several explanations for it
are being explored.  For the past few years, a drug called spectinomycin has
frequently been used for treating gonorrhea instead of penicillin which is the
antibiotic choice for eradicating syphilis.  Spectinomycin is ineffective in
killing incubating syphilis and since the increase in the disease corresponds
geographically to areas using this new drug, many specialists believe that the
lack of penicillin treatment could be contributing to the problem.
     Another possible explanation for the rise in syphilis has been attributed
to the current focus on AIDS and HIV infection.  It is believed that the AIDS
crisis has diverted the attention of health care professionals away from other
serious sexually transmitted diseases.  Thus, syphilis may not be getting the
attention it should.
     A third possibility for the problem involves penicillin treatment itself.
There is an increasing number of reports on treatment failures of primary and
secondary syphilis, leading experts to question penicillin's ability to cure
syphilis, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
     Whatever the case, syphilis is by no means disappearing.  At present, the
only real approach for handling the rise in the disease is to attempt early
detection and treatment.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
