Syphilis rates rise 1,400% among U.K. gay men

Newly diagnosed cases of syphilis among gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom rose a whopping 1,412% from 1997 through 2002, according to a study in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Most of the new cases were diagnosed in London and Manchester, researchers say. Among other groups, syphilis diagnoses rose 213% among straight men and 22% among women during the same time period. Researchers say many of the gay men diagnosed with syphilis also were coinfected with HIV. Many of the syphilis cases also were transmitted through oral sex, according to the study.