Syphilis cases hit highest level since 1949 amid rise in men who have sex with men

Websites which help people find hook ups may be fueling a rise in unprotected sex. The Telegraph has a story titled “Syphilis cases hit highest level since 1949 amid rise in men who have risky sex.” Laura Donnelly cautions that most cases were associated with transmission in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men.  According to the report:

Syphilis cases have reached the highest level since 1949 following a rise in unsafe sex as fears about HIV have faded, new figures suggest.

The official data shows the number of diagnoses has doubled in five years, with most cases occuring in gay and bisexual men.

It follows warnings from health officials that risky sexual behaviours – including unprotected activity, “chem sex,” the use of “hookup” apps such as Grindr – and “poz” parties where HIV positive men select sexual partners – are fuelling the rise.

The figures from Public Health England show 5,920 syphilis diagnoses in 2016 – a rise of 12 per cent in one year, and a near doubling from 3,001 cases in 2012.

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