Syphilis Test Gets OK for Wider Use

While syphilis is easy to treat, the number of people in the U.S. who have the disease has been rising, reaching 16,663 reported cases in 2013 according to the CDC. The annual rate for that year was 5.3 primary and secondary cases per 100,000 population -- nearly double what it had been 8 years earlier in 2005. But that number is almost certainly an underestimate, since it is based on 34 states and the District of Columbia. The true number, the CDC thinks, is closer to 55,000 new cases a year. The test uses whole blood from a fingerstick and results can be available within minutes, the agency noted. The speed of the test allows healthcare workers to get a second sample at the same office visit to confirm any positive results and that, in turn, increases the probability of timely treatment, the agency said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/STDs/49136?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2014-12-16&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=ST&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&email=amydugan2%40gmail.com&mu_id=5883165&utm_term=Daily