Syphilis cases spike among men residing in Utah communities

Health officials from the Salt Lake Valley Health Department are cautioning men who have sex with men about a growing outbreak of syphilis in several Utah counties. This warning comes after a total of 40 cases of the virus have already been reported to the department this year, exceeding the 37 cases that were diagnosed in 2009, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

In an effort to slow the spread of syphilis, local sexual health experts are recommending members of gay community get screened twice per year for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as well as use condoms during sexual intercourse.

Lynn Beltran, a coordinator of STD programs at the health department, told the news source that "we need to sound the alarm." She added that "men engaging in sexual activity with other men need to realize this is out there."

The spread of syphilis has also become a national concern, as an estimated 13,500 people in the U.S. contracted the disease in 2008. Approximately 25 percent of these cases occurred in men having sex with other men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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