The incidence of syphilis in Guangdong has increased for 8 consecutive years, and hidden carriers are more dangerous
Recently, the Guangdong Provincial Health Department announced the “Guangdong Province Syphilis Prevention and Control Plan Implementation Plan (2012-2020)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). The program proposes that Guangdong will increase the syphilis screening surface, AIDS testing institutions can be free to check syphilis. According to public information, the incidence of syphilis in Guangdong has risen for eight consecutive years, the first eight months of this year, the province’s syphilis cases exceeded 30,000 cases.
Syphilis incidence rate has increased for years
According to reports, for eight consecutive years, the incidence of syphilis in Guangdong have risen at a rate of 15% to 20%, and syphilis has accounted for three consecutive years, the second place in Guangdong’s category B infectious diseases.
In 2010, Guangdong reported 40,410 cases of syphilis; in 2011, the number of reported syphilis cases rose to 46,742, accounting for 11.8% of the total number of reported cases nationwide. The number of syphilis cases reported in 2011 rose to 46,742, accounting for 11.8% of the total number of cases reported nationwide, an increase of 15.67% compared to 2010.
Occult syphilis accounts for 80% of cases
It is understood that among the reported cases of syphilis, occult syphilis accounts for a large proportion. Take the data reported by a hospital in Guangzhou, for example, from January to July this year, occult syphilis accounted for 80% of the reported cases in the hospital.
Among the types of syphilis, the growth of occult syphilis has surprised clinicians. According to physicians from the Department of Dermatology at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat Sen University, about 1/3 of the hospital’s clinical syphilis cases are recessive. According to the syphilis data reported to the National CDC by the hospital, from January to July, 175 cases of syphilis were reported, including 144 cases of recessive syphilis, 12 cases of stage I syphilis, 13 cases of stage II syphilis, and 6 cases of stage III syphilis.
Syphilis prevention and control program introduced
Not long ago, the provincial health department introduced the “Guangdong Province, the prevention and control of syphilis planning and implementation program (2012 to 2020)”, the goal is to 2015, to effectively curb the rapid rise in syphilis epidemic momentum; by 2020 the annual reported incidence of stage I and II syphilis is on a downward trend, congenital syphilis annual reported incidence of 15/100,000 live births or less.
Since the 1980s, the incidence of syphilis in Guangdong has gradually increased, especially between 1993 and 1999, the average annual increase in the reported incidence of 85%, the situation of syphilis prevention and control is serious.
The Program points out that specialized STD prevention and treatment institutions at all levels (including relevant departments) should take the initiative to recommend syphilis testing to those who visit STD clinics, those with a history of high-risk behavior or clinical manifestations of suspected syphilis, and conduct syphilis testing on a voluntary basis. Community drug maintenance clinics and free HIV counseling and testing facilities should incorporate free syphilis counseling and testing into their daily services and provide referral services for those with positive tests. In accordance with the goal set forth in the Program for the end of 2015, the free syphilis testing rate for those tested at AIDS counseling and testing sites and for those taking medication at community drug maintenance clinics will reach 90%, respectively.
Syphilis diagnostic screening for only 10 yuan
During this year’s “two sessions” in Dongguan, the Dongguan Municipal Committee of the Agricultural Labour Party submitted a proposal entitled “Proposal to reduce the incidence of fetal syphilis”. The proposal revealed that from 2005 to 2009, the incidence of fetal syphilis in Dongguan was generally on the rise.
According to statistics, there were 82 cases of fetuses with fetal syphilis or congenital syphilis in 2005, 104 cases in 2006, 129 cases in 2007, 190 cases in 2008, and 149 cases in 2009. In 2008, its incidence was even closer to 11 out of 100,000.
”To reduce the incidence of fetal syphilis, early diagnosis and formal treatment can be given during pregnancy.” The proposal states that if diagnosed in the early four months of pregnancy, with standardized treatment, the chances of fetal infection can be greatly reduced and the fetus can even be protected from the syphilis spirochete. The diagnostic screening test for syphilis costs only $10 and the confirmatory test costs $40. The treatment drug is the economical penicillin, which costs only $90 for the entire course of treatment.
Hidden syphilis is more dangerous
The director of Dongguan Lingnan Urological Hospital, Liu Zhuangqun, said that hidden syphilis is more harmful. Many patients do not know that they carry syphilis virus and usually do not feel it, but can only be detected when blood tests are taken.
”Syphilis into the human body will not necessarily soon onset, some will be quietly latent in the body, when the body’s immunity decreases, latent syphilis-causing bacteria at this time will develop rapidly, at this time generally known as a syphilis.”
”Syphilis is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse and blood, drug addiction, sex workers, those with an unclean sexual history, and those with too many sexual partners should pay attention.” It is recommended that these types of people regularly go to the hospital for blood tests, and if they are found to be suffering from or carrying the syphilis virus, they should go to a regular hospital for timely treatment. Liu Zhuangqun introduced that Phase I and Phase II syphilis are relatively easy to treat and can be cured with high doses of long-acting penicillin. Early examination, early detection and early treatment. If it develops to stage three, there will be a variety of complications and it is difficult to cure.
What is fetal syphilis?
The so-called fetal syphilis is caused by the transmission of syphilis spirochetes from a pregnant woman infected with syphilis to her fetus through placental blood, which will directly lead to miscarriage and stillbirth; if the child survives, it will have symptoms such as saddle nose, perforated hard and soft palate, misaligned incisors (so called teeth), paralytic dementia and spinal consumption, which seriously endanger the health of the affected child.