Europe has been affected in a record way by syphilis for 10 years. It is the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) which announces it in a report published on July 12.
Also known as “pox” or “large pox”, syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It is characterized by ulcers in the genitals, in the mouth, then fever and redness, pain as well as migraines. Untreated, it can lead to death.
Recrudescence of syphilis especially in men
ECDC researchers have found that syphilis has spread even more than HIV in Europe over the past decade. Between 2007 and 2017, 260,000 new cases of the STI were reported across the continent. The year 2017 alone concentrates 33,000.
The most affected countries? Iceland, Germany, Ireland, Malta or even England, which has seen the number of cases increase by 5% in one year. In terms of distribution by sex, heterosexual men represent 23%, and heterosexual women 15%. The study points out that most of the cases concern homosexual men.
The researchers explain this resurgence of a disease, which was wrongly thought to have disappeared, by a decrease in the fear of contracting STIs, and therefore by less use of condoms.
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