Health experts in San Francisco call syphilis wave an 'epidemic'

Officials at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) have announced that cases of syphilis hit record numbers in 2010, according to the city newspaper, the Examiner.

More than 580 cases of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) were reported to the department over a ten month period last year, the city's highest ever recorded rate of transmission.

The number of cases grew by more than 25 percent over the previous year, the new source said.

The population most at risk for contracting syphilis are men who have sex with men, and the DPH reported that most cases of the disease were limited to that group.

According to the newspaper, six in ten individuals who were found to have syphilis also tested positive for HIV.

The DPH recommended launching a new campaign to inform at-risk populations to get tested for these diseases two to four times a year. The last such initiative, San Francisco's "Healthy Penis" campaign of 2004, experienced limited success.

Untreated syphilis causes rashes, blisters, warts, swollen glands and ultimately organ failure. Individuals who suspect they have contracted it may consider looking into online testing service options.

In the past decade, more than 1,600 San Franciscans have reported having syphilis, and each individual is likely to have infected 10 more people, the San Francisco City Clinic estimates.