"Syphilis rise tied to natural cycle"

Researchers say disease increase is not because of unsafe sex

A recent rise in syphilis rates in the United States is probably because of natural cycles rather than an increase in unsafe sex or other behaviors, according to a new study.

The finding is encouraging to public health authorities who have worried that increasing syphilis infection, especially among gay and bisexual men, is a sign that people at high risk for HIV have grown complacent about practicing safe sex.

Syphilis has been on the rise in the United States since 2000, when the incidence of the disease was at its lowest in six decades. In 2003, the most recent year for which data are available, 7,177 cases were reported, compared with 5,979 in 2000. Similar jumps in syphilis incidence have been observed in the past.

Full Article : thestate.com