Like Gard in 2015, syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection, has made a comeback in Corrèze. To avoid the worst, Dr. Abraham calls for screening.
Doctor specializing in infectious diseases at the Brive Hospital Center (Corrèze), Dr Bruno Abraham did not hesitate to use the word “explosion” in the face of the sudden and rapid resurgence of cases of syphilis in his department. A few days ago, he sounded the alarm in the regional daily The mountain.
“For the general public, it is a disease of the past, often associated with brothels. Yet we are witnessing his return. In 2015, around 40 people were treated in Brive while one or two years ago, we only had one or two cases per year, ”he said..
The importance of screening
To explain this outbreak, Dr Abraham mentions the mode of transmission of this Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). “It is much easier than the AIDS virus during unprotected oral sex.”
So, faced with this worrying observation, this doctor launched an appeal: “We must not hesitate to be tested”.
To detect the disease, a physical examination is necessary and in the absence of symptoms, the diagnosis is based on a blood test. Treated quickly, primary and secondary syphilis are easily treated with a single injection of antibiotics such as Benzathine Penicillin G.
Conversely, if left untreated, syphilis can lead to eye problems, neurological and psychiatric disorders, organ damage and even death.
Resurgence of cases also in the Gard
A warning that can also apply in other departments since syphilis seems to resurface in the four corners of France. In 2015, the anonymous and free screening centers (CDAG) in Gard had indeed launched the same syphilis alert for the department. Three times as many cases had been observed in recent months.
As a reminder, between 2000 and 2009, the weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) has identified more than 4,000 cases of early syphilis in France. Syphilis is caused by bacteria, Treponema Pallidum (pale treponema) responsible for damage to the skin and mucous membranes that can affect many organs. As the bacteria cannot survive in the open air, transmission generally occurs through direct contact during vaginal or anal penetration, but also during oral sex and sometimes mouth to mouth. The figures, on the rise for more than ten years, remind us of the need to protect yourself during sex.
Syphilis: the number of cases has doubled in the United States
In 2013, the number of people affected by this STI was 5.3 per 100,000 in the United States, more than twice the figure for 2000 when there were 2.1 cases per 100,000 people ( the lowest rate in US history). Between 2005 and 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of patients with syphilis nearly doubled, from 8,724 to 16,663.
After having almost completely disappeared, this return of syphilis across the Atlantic occurs mainly in gay and bisexual men. It worries American specialists since this disease also exposes an increased risk of infection with HIV because of the lesions it causes.
“In 2015, around 40 people were treated in Brive whereas one or two years ago, we only had one or two cases per year”
Posted by Why actor on Sunday 24 January 2016
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