Increase in Syphilis Rate in U.S. Men

The rate of syphilis among U.S. adult men rose 81 percent between 2000 and 2004, U.S. health officials said.

Of the almost 8,000 cases of syphilis reported in 2004, some 84 percent of the cases were among men — with nearly 65 percent of those cases resulting from men having sex with other men — reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The vast majority of the increase is attributable to a resurgence of syphilis among men who have sex with men … syphilis rates continue to increase among (this group), said Dr. J.F. Beltrami, one of the authors of the report.

The report said syphilis rates among men nearly doubled from 2.6 per 100,000 to 4.7, while the syphilis rate among women fell from 1.7 to .8 per 100,000 from 2000 to 2003, The Washington Times reported Friday.