Syphilis is on the increase: the implications for child health

摘要

Regardless of origins, syphilis has affected Europeans over many centuries. The first well-documented outbreak occurred in Naples in 1494, rapidly swept throughout Europe and was associated with a myriad of presenting signs and symptoms and a high mortality rate.1 The condition was once a leading cause of dementia and in the pre-antibiotic era caused one out of five of all admissions to psychiatric institutions in the USA. In 1943 Mahoney and co-workers first treated cases of syphilis with penicillin. This drug has remained the mainstay of treatment since that time.