Rise in Syphilis Cases Due to Heterosexual Contact - Earlier rises associated with male-to-male transmission - Modern Medicine

"Data on rates of syphilis in Jefferson County, Ala., indicate a re-emergence of the disease among women and heterosexual men, according to a report in the May 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Edward W. Hook, M.D., of the Jefferson County Department of Health in Birmingham, Ala., and colleagues report that, in common with national rates of syphilis, Jefferson County saw a substantial drop in the number of cases from 279 in 1995 to nine in 2002, but from 2002 to 2005 the number of cases began to rise significantly again, with 238 cases in 2006 and 166 cases in 2007."