Health
US Syphilis Cases Rise to Highest Level in More Than 70 Years
- US cases rose 17% in 2022, up seven-fold from 20 years ago
- Adding to woes, Pfizer’s treatment is in short supply
This photomicrograph depicts a Treponema pallidum bacterium which leads to syphilis.
Photographer: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Cases of syphilis, a debilitating sexually transmitted disease, are surging in the US and have returned to levels not seen in more than 70 years.
Infections rose 17% to 207,000 cases in the US in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday in a release of the latest data available. Annual cases hovered just above 30,000 two decades ago.