Cases of syphilis Spain increased by 16% in 2010.

Spain, November 2011- 2010 declared Spain 2,909 cases of syphilis (a rate of 6,39 per 100,000 population), an increase of 16 per cent from 2.506 (5.56 per 100,000) cases registered in 2009. Communities with higher rate of cases of syphilis were Canary (263 cases and a rate of the 12,71), Madrid (644 cases and a 10,21) and Asturias (105 cases and a rate of 10.7). These data are published in the “guide of good practice clinic in infections of sexually transmitted”, made by ten specialists in family medicine, epidemiology, Dermatology and venerology and presented by the College medical organization (WTO).

With regard to cases of gonococcal infection (gonorrhea), the document indicates that there has been a stabilization of the reported cases, 1,944 in 2010 (a rate of 4.27 per 100,000 population). Communities affected by the higher rates were Canary (196 cases and a rate of 9,47), Valencia (421 cases and 8,47) and Asturias (63 cases and 6.33).

In Europe and according to data from the World Health Organization (WTO), since 1996 there has been a significant increase of syphilis and gonorrhea in countries of Western Europe, notably United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden. Infections have also experienced an increase in chlamydia, genital warts and herpes simplex. According to the latest data from the European surveillance network of the infections of sexually transmitted infection with Chlamydia is the most common assigned especially to young people and women and European countries.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum and the majority of cases of give sexual contact with a person live in the early stage of the disease. In humans, usually appears on the penis, and in women, labia majora while 5% of the lesions have an extragenital location, mainly in the skin, hands and plant of the foot. Currently, syphilis is a common Spain infection and has surpassed the gonorrhea. Just as in the United States.UU or in other European countries, the highest prevalence of this infection is seen in homosexual men, many of them, with HIV infection. One of the causes of the increase could be due to that Spain is welcome Centre of prostitution in countries of Eastern Europe, Africa or Central America, which are areas with higher rates of syphilis.

Gonococcal infection in men is usually set in the rectum and the penis and, in women, on the neck of the uterus, although 80% of cases are asymptomatic, which makes that it extends the period between the acquisition of the infection and its treatmentwhich increases the chances of complications and determines its epidemiological role in transmission to be more important.

The importance of condoms

Many of these sexually transmitted infections occur in young men and women, who have stopped using condoms and is, in addition to contraceptive measure, a measure of prevention of infections. In this regard, the President of the College medical organization (WTO), Juan José Rodríguez Sendín, has warned that “you young people, in particular, not should lower our guard in the use of condoms, regardless of contraceptive methods that use because prevention is the key to avoid many sexually transmitted diseases”.

The “guide of good practice clinic in infections of sexually transmitted” of the WTO aims to help primary care doctors in making decisions and to establish effective measures for the prevention and control of this type of pathologies that have increased in recent years. The Organization stresses that professionals is a document of eminently practical and based on scientific evidence and criteria only.