Screen more: ‘The great pox’ is back and part of a wider syndemic

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Sexual health

Screen more: ‘The great pox’ is back and part of a wider syndemic

By Massimo Giola
Sexual Health_Blood Test
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
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.