Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2006 Supplement. Syphilis Surveillance Report

摘要

In October 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners, launched the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis. The plans five key strategies included: (1) enhanced surveillance, (2) rapid outbreak response activities, (3) enhanced clinical and laboratory services, (4) strengthened community involvement and organizational partnerships, and (5) enhanced health promotion. In the seven years since its establishment, numerous gains have been made in reducing disease incidence in key groups, raising professional and public awareness of syphilis, increasing financial investment into public Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) clinic services, and building local public health and community capacity to fight this devastating disease. However, new challenges have emerged. After reaching a nadir in 2000, case reports of primary and secondary syphilis are again on the increase, and today more than 60% of new infections are estimated to occur in men who have sex with men. Syphilis is now increasingly diagnosed in the private sector, generating concerns about the effectiveness of its detection and management in this setting. The evolving epidemiology, changing risk groups, and social environments pose challenges for elimination and STD program activities.