Global Resurgence of Syphilis (Including Congenital Syphilis)

Cases of syphilis have surged in several countries during the last 10 years. While most cases have been in men, infection rates have also risen among women, resulting in higher incidence of congenital syphilis. Investigators in Victoria, Australia, reviewed syphilis notifications between 2010 and 2020. During that time, 10,247 cases of infectious syphilis were reported (highest yearly incidence, 28 per 100,000 in 2019). Incidence was 10-fold higher among men as compared with women, although the rate of rise was higher for women than men (7- vs. 5-fold rise).

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had substantially higher rates than non-Indigenous populations, as well as a higher proportion of women with syphilis than in non…