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The annual number of notifications of infectious syphilis has almost quadrupled during the past decade in Australia, from 1332 notifications in 2011 to 5248 in 2020. Similar rises have been reported in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and Asia. Syphilis is infectious during the first two years after infection, particularly during its primary and secondary stages; the sexual contact transmission risk is as high as 50%. 

Untreated infectious syphilis increases the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and can have serious effects in pregnant women, including stillbirth and miscarriage. As no vaccine is available, syphilis control largely depends upon consistent condom use and early diagnosis and treatment.

This MJA research shares more.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain key components of the research
2. List main findings
3. Identify ways to provide regular health screening for syphilis in disadvantaged areas/communities to patients' health.

Details

Author: Allison Carter, Hamish McManus, James S Ward, Tobias Vickers, Jason Asselin, Greta Baillie, Eric PF Chow, Marcus Y Chen, Christopher K Fairley, Christopher Bourne, Anna McNulty, Phillip Read, Kevin Heath, Nathan Ryder, Jenny McCloskey, Christopher Carmody, Heather McCormack, Kate Alexander, Dawn Casey, Mark Stoove, Margaret E Hellard, Basil Donovan and Rebecca J Guy

Article Type: Research.