Kentucky, Minnesota Note Uptick In Syphilis Infections.

the Kentucky Department of Public Health has issued “preliminary figures” showing that the state’s “rate of all stages” of syphilis “has nearly doubled since 2009, from 5.5 per 100,000 residents to 10.1 in 2014.” Kentucky state epidemiologist Dr. Kraig Humbaugh said, “Unfortunately, there’s some complacency about practicing safe sex. We need to do a better job of education.” Increased cases of syphilis are not just Kentucky’s problem. Medical epidemiologist John Su, of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, “said there has been a steady national increase in cases after syphilis reached historic lows around 2000.” Meanwhile, the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune (4/17, Olson) reports that yesterday, Minnesota “reported 24,599 confirmed cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2014.” Officials with the Minnesota Department of Health “were troubled by...629 syphilis cases – a 17 percent increase – that primarily involved urban men who have sex with other men and a few females.” Officials “said better and faster notification of sexual partners is essential to slow the spread of infections.” http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/04/16/syphilis-infection-rates-rebound-kentucky-across-nation/25872075/