Syphilis Cases Increase in First Quarter of 2007

After leveling off for more than two years – and declining in 2006 – new syphilis cases spiked in New York City during the first three months of 2007. 260 new cases of primary and secondary syphilis were reported during January, February and March, compared with 128 cases during the same period last year. Interviews with patients suggest that the increase is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. As in past years, half of those newly diagnosed with syphilis also report being infected with HIV.