New York syphilis outbreak continues

Officials with News York City's health department are predicting that the current syphilis outbreak among the city's gay and bisexual men will continue through 2003 and possibly even worsen before the end of the year, Gay City News reports. As of April 7, 105 new cases of primary or secondary syphilis were recorded in the city this year, with 99 of them reported among men. During the same period in 2002, 102 new cases were reported. The health department also reported an increase in newly diagnosed latent syphilis infections--people who carry the syphilis bacteria but no longer exhibit any outward signs of infection--during the first quarter of 2003. The data suggest that the syphilis outbreak will continue for the foreseeable future, health officials say. The city's health department is recommending that sexually active gay and bisexual men get tested for syphilis every year, whether or not they have symptoms.