Surge in cases of syphilis throughout Scotland

Gay and bisexual men blamed – and binge drinking and drugs boost other STIs

By Tim Pauling

Published:

Gay and bisexual men are being blamed for a huge increase in syphilis in Scotland.

Cases of the disease, once thought to have practically disappeared, rocketed by nearly 1,100% between 1996 and 2007.

The latest NHS figures show that cases of sexually-transmitted infections (STI) hit a new high last year.

There were 22,906 diagnoses of acute STIs, up 7% on 2006 and 110% higher than 1996. The number of chlamydia cases was up 435% while the statistics for HIV nearly trebled and cases of gonorrhoea nearly doubled over the 11 years.

Risk-taking, such as binge drinking and drugs, is thought to be responsible for a large part of the general increase in people catching STIs.

Experts believe the increase in syphilis cases is mainly due to gay men incorrectly assuming that certain sexual practices were safe.

Catherine Murphy, the policy and parliamentary officer for the sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland, said there had been a resurgence of syphilis in the last 10 years.

“I think a lot of people had assumed that syphilis had gone away but it has come back,” she said.

“It is up to us in health promotion organisations and the NHS to get the message out to gay and bisexual men that it is something that has to be considered. There is certainly a case for educating gay and bisexual men as to what the dangers are and how it is transmitted.”

Last year’s figures show that four out of five new diagnoses of chlamydia in women were in the 15-34 age group, while 71% of cases among men involved 20 to 34-year-olds.

Dr Gillian Flett, lead clinician for sexual health at NHS Grampian, said there was far greater awareness about the dangers of STIs and more young people were coming forward to get themselves tested, particularly for chlamydia, which does not present any symptoms but can lead to infertility.

She said there was a link between the increased STIs and binge drinking and drugs. “We are aware of the links and that is why we are trying to get more joined-up strategies to address these issues because all of these things concern us,” she said.

Tory health spokesman Mary Scanlon called the figures shocking and dramatic.

“A disease such as syphilis, which was all but wiped out, is showing frightening signs of a comeback, whereas cases of chlamydia have simply skyrocketed in the past decade,” she said.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: “It is disappointing to see rising rates of STIs, and although there are small signs of improvement in increased awareness and testing, this is not yet enough.”

She added: “Last month I announced a new chlamydia testing and treatment programme that will be available later this year free of charge in community pharmacies around Scotland.

“This will make an important contribution to improving sexual health, but it's vital young people take advantage of free local services.”