Respiratory physician Lutz Beckert considers chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management, including the prevention of COPD, the importance of smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation, and the lifesaving potential of addressing treatable traits. He also discusses the logic of inhaler therapy, moving from single therapy to dual and triple therapy when indicated, as well as other aspects of management
Screen more: ‘The great pox’ is back and part of a wider syndemic
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In print
Sexual health
Screen more: ‘The great pox’ is back and part of a wider syndemic
Wednesday 29 January 2025, 12:15 AM

If someone gets tested for blood-borne viruses, they also need to get tested for syphilis [Testalize.me on Unsplash]
New Zealand is seeing unacceptably high numbers of congenital syphilis cases. Sexual health specialist Massimo Giola discusses the urgent intervention required to prevent another case
Key points, Syphilis is back – did it ever go away?
Please screen everyone who is sexually active.
Currently, the two most at-risk populations in Aotearoa are, Pract Green w Pale Yellow
Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa
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References
1. ESR. STI Annual Dashboard 2023.
2. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Congenital syphilis: Annual Epidemiological Report for 2022. Stockholm, EU: ECDC; 2024.
3. Shelke A, Shelke S, Acharya S, Shukla S. Synergistic epidemic or syndemic: An emerging pattern of human diseases. Cureus 2023;15(11):e48286.