The Number of Syphilis Infections from January to August is 1,881
Syphilis, one of the sexually transmitted infections, has seen a rapid increase in infected patients after being designated as a notifiable disease subject to complete surveillance.
According to data confirmed by Seo Mi-hwa, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 10th, the number of syphilis-infected patients from January to August this year was recorded at 1,881. There were 679 patients in the primary stage, 316 in the secondary stage, and even 39 patients in the tertiary stage. There were 9 congenital cases.
The number of patients up to August this year is 4.52 times higher than the total number of 416 patients for the entire year last year. The number of syphilis patients has been increasing, with 330 in 2020, 339 in 2021, and 401 in 2022.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by infection with the bacterium Treponema pallidum through sexual contact. Symptoms appear after an incubation period of about three weeks. The representative symptom is a painless skin ulcer, mainly appearing around the penis, anus, and female vulva. It is treated with penicillin, an antibiotic injection.
About one month after syphilis infection, a rash appears at the infection site, and later, as the syphilis bacteria spread throughout the body, rashes also develop on the palms and soles. Even if the rash disappears, if not properly treated, the bacteria can remain dormant in the body and cause abnormalities in the heart and nervous system years later.
In particular, if a pregnant woman contracts syphilis, the pathogen can infect the fetus, leading to premature birth or stillbirth. Even if the child is born asymptomatic, symptoms such as bone deformities or hearing loss may appear later. Also, syphilis was previously classified as a fourth-class infectious disease subject to sentinel surveillance, but from January this year, it was upgraded to a third-class infectious disease and became subject to complete surveillance. This decision was based on the assessment that it can be transmitted over a long period and, if not treated timely, is likely to progress to severe complications.
The spread of syphilis in neighboring Japan was also taken into consideration. In Japan, syphilis cases have explosively increased since 2021, after the COVID-19 spread subsided. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum, belonging to the Spirochaetaceae family, and is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse.
In Japan, syphilis cases reached as high as 220,000 annually in 1948, during the chaotic period immediately after World War II. However, after the widespread use of the antibiotic penicillin, the number of infections significantly decreased. The number of infected patients, which reached 12,000 annually in 1967, dropped to about 500 annually by 1997. However, since 2011, the trend reversed and the number has been sharply increasing. The number of syphilis infections in Japan exceeded 1,000 in 2013, rapidly increased to the 4,000 range in 2016, the 5,000 range in 2017, and soared to 13,228 in 2022.
Assembly member Seo said, “There are calls for budget support to block further transmission of syphilis,” and added, “The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency explained that so far, only a portion of travel expenses for epidemiological investigations is supported within the budget for sexually transmitted infections related to syphilis.” She also stated, “Through the newly implemented complete surveillance system this year, the exact scale and epidemiological relationships of syphilis infections should be identified, and this should serve as a basis for promptly securing budgets in case of syphilis spread.”
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