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Syphilis Rates Soar Among Gay Men in Scotland Infection Increases 14- Fold in Four Years

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 12:01 CDT

A SERIOUS sexual disease which can lead to insanity and death if left untreated has increased 14-fold among gay men in the past four years in Scotland.

New figures have revealed that while little more than a dozen cases of syphilis were recorded in 2001, by last year that total had soared to 186.

The majority of cases are centred in Scotland's two largest centres, with a 900-per cent increase in four years in Glasgow and a 500-per cent increase in Lothian in three years.

Experts say that the disease is being diagnosed primarily in gay men, and warn it indicates that they are taking risks with their health by having unprotected sex.

Although syphilis can be cured with antibiotics, if left untreated, it can cause serious damage to the heart, brain, eyes and nervous system over the course of many years and can increase the risk of acquiring HIV by up to five times.

A spokesman for Healthy Gay Scotland said: "We would like to see more people going for regular sexual-health check-ups. That would be one of the ways where you would find out if you had syphilis at its very early stages."

That view is backed by health officials, who say they have introduced measures to try and reduce the spread of the condition. A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow said:

"We are currently evaluating a pilot fast-track testing programme. It is hoped that this will lead more speedily to treatment.

"Furthermore, we have developed our gay men's health strategy, which considers how best to improve the sexual health of gay men in Glasgow and how best to fulfil their healthcare needs. This includes consideration of how to reduce the spread of syphilis and how to ensure rapid, effective treatment."

Anne Maree Wallace, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Lothian, said: "The local sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, especially among men who have sex with men, indicate that the incidence of unprotected sexual intercourse is increasing.

"Access to services [for these men] has been improved greatly in the hope that increased awareness of infection risks and early-case detection can reduce the number of infections."

The new figures were revealed by Health Minister Andy Kerr in a written answer to a parliamentary question asked by SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson.

They show that in 2001 there were a total of 13 cases of syphilis in Scotland, but by 2004 that had risen to 186.

In Lothian, 84 diagnoses were made last year, compared with 14 in 2002. And in Glasgow, the number of cases rose from eight in 2001 to 78 by 2004.

The rise comes against a background of increasing numbers of Scots being diagnosed with STIs, with the statistics also highlighting that cases of chlamydia have more than doubled in the last four years.

Stevenson said: "The rise in the cases of syphilis is the particularly alarming one, because syphilis is a very serious disease with lifelong implications when it is not treated quickly.

"It is absolutely vital that we make sure people understand their responsibilities to their sexual partners and use barrier protections. And for youngsters in their sexual education in schools, it is absolutely vital that we make people aware of this particular problem."

Syphilis, which once caused widespread epidemics, had virtually disappeared from the UK 20 years ago, which experts attribute to the high profile safe-sex campaigns of the 1980s. Symptoms of the disease, such as painless sores in the initial stage when it is easiest to treat, may go unrecognised.

One third of people will go on to develop the complications of late or tertiary syphilis, in which the bacteria damage the heart, eyes, brain, nervous system, bones, joints - almost any part of the body.

This stage can last for years, even decades, and can result in mental illness, blindness, heart disease and death.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive described sexual health in Scotland as "poor". She said: "We agree that this is a major public health issue and improving sexual health is central to our public health agenda. Government has a job to do, but individuals also have a responsibility for their own health and for the safety of others."

Source: Sunday Herald

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