Pennsylvania (and the Pittsburgh area in particular) is stillexperiencing an alarming increase in syphilis cases, primarily among men who have sex with men (MSM). Over the last 5 years, Pennsylvania’s MSM community has experienced an 85% increase in syphilis infections. MSM represented approximately 65% of all new syphilis cases reported in the state.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection. If it goes untreated, it can lead to serious health problems including paralysis, blindness, and dementia. In the late stages, the disease can damage internal organs and can result in death. In its early stages, syphilis is 100% curable with simple antibiotics.
You can get syphilis and not have any symptoms, so the only way to know you’re infected is to get a simple blood test.
As a result of the increase in syphilis cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends that all sexually active MSM get a routine syphilis test every 6 months. Several locations around the state have free syphilis testing, click on this link to find testing near you: hivtest.cdc.gov.
To find out more about Syphilis, go to the CDC’s Website.
HIV Prevention and Care Project 