Syphilis cases up among gay men in Kansas City, Mo.

Health officials in Kansas City, Mo., report a 266% increase in syphilis cases reported in the first three months of 2005 compared with the same period in 2004, The Kansas City Star reports. The city health department recorded 16 new syphilis cases in the first three months this year, compared with six new cases in the first quarter of 2004. Nine of the new cases reported this year were among gay men, and six of the nine gay men were HIV-positive, according to city health officials.