Syphilis cases reached new all-time high – particularly in Germany
The number of confirmed cases of Syphilis in Europe has increased in recent years. Men aged 25 to 34 years were infected in relation to women and other age groups, most frequently with the sexually transmitted disease, according to a report by the European centre for disease prevention and control (ECDC). This is true especially for men who have Sex with other men, and live in cities.
The report refers to the number of Syphilis-messages from 2007 to 2017. For this period, ECDC evaluated the data from 30 States – the EU-countries, Norway and Iceland. The number of confirmed cases rose accordingly, since 2010, to almost 70 percent, to a record value of 33.193, in the year 2017. This was the first since the beginning of 2000, more confirmed Syphilis, as HIV cases in Europe, said the Stockholm-based centre.
“The increases in Syphilis infections that we see in Europe as well as in other countries all over the world, are a result of several factors, such as Sex without a condom and multiple sexual partners, combined with a lower fear to get HIV,” says the head of the ECDC programme for HIV and STDs, Andrew Amato-Gauci.
Germany: More cases than the EU average
Also in Germany, the number of diseases between 2007 and 2017 rose sharply – from an average of 4 to 9.1 cases per 100,000 citizens. For comparison: In Europe the Rate of 2017 stood at 7.1 per 100,000. Thus, Germany ranks alongside Iceland, Ireland, the UK and Malta to the five countries where the Rate has doubled since 2010 to more than. Estonia and Romania reported a significant decrease.
By the end of 2018, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin had warned against a significant increase in Syphilis infections in Germany. Accordingly, in 2017, nearly 7500 cases were reported, in comparison to the year 2016, the number increased by 4.2 percent. In particular, in Berlin and Hamburg, the number of above average number of people affected in terms of population.
The German AIDS help looks for a reason in the decline in use of condoms, which returns, among other things, better HIV therapies. Another possible reason is that more cases are detected. Gay and bisexual men were called for more regular Syphilis testing, wrote the organization by the end of 2018. As a result, the number of reported cases, which takes a dark figure descends.
Decline in the eighties
The number of Syphilis cases has fallen significantly, particularly in the eighties, with the spread of HIV/Aids and Safer Sex greatly. For years, but the Trend has reversed again. Only about half of those Infected ailments, if left untreated, the disease can run in three stages:
If the disease is detected, it is sufficient for the treatment of often a Penicillin injection. About seven days later, the patient is no longer contagious.
