Rise in syphilis rate concerns officials in Montana

Montana reported no syphilis cases from 1999 through 2003 but had four cases in 2004 and has logged five so far this year, said Laurie Kops, manager of the sexually transmitted disease program for the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. The cases this year have been scattered across the state, she said; all five patients have been treated, and efforts are under way to identify and treat their partners. "Unfortunately, syphilis has been making a comeback. This is true across the nation as well as in Montana," Kops said in a statement. (AP)