The Nation - News from Jan. 29, 1988

Infectious syphilis in the United States has risen sharply to its highest rate since 1950, health researchers reported. The national Centers for Disease Control said the increase occurred chiefly among women and heterosexual males. Syphilis continued to decrease among homosexual males, the agency said, “largely because of changes in sexual behavior due to AIDS,” which strikes most often in homosexual men and intravenous drug users. The CDC, in its weekly report, said 35,398 cases of early-stage, contagious syphilis were reported in the United States last year, up 30% from the year before. Figures are not yet complete, but CDC researchers project a 1987 syphilis rate of 14.7 cases for every 100,000 Americans, the highest rate since 16.7 cases in 1950.