Health officials have revealed that higher number of men is suffering from syphilis, which has reached its highest level since 1995 in the US. CDC has warned that it is a major public-health threat because syphilis and the
behaviors associated with acquiring it significantly increase the chances of acquiring and transmitting HIV.

Since 2005, the rates of syphilis have increased by 200% in the US, said the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday. In 2013, 16,663 people contracted the sexually transmitted disease, which is the highest rate in the US since it became the rarest to affect in 2000.

It is really surprising that the rates have increased mostly among men as they now account for 91% of cases in the US. Among women, the rate of spread has remained fairly constant since 2005. If syphilis goes untreated, then a sufferer becomes highly likely to experience damages to the brain and nerves. The agency has urged doctors to encourage people to adopt safer sex practices and increases screening of the STD.

Among men, gays and bisexual are the ones who have seem the sharpest rise in cases of syphilis in the US. Black men had the highest rates, but a surge was also seen among white and Hispanic men between 2005 and 2013.

The increase among gay men is really worrisome because it increases the risk of HIV spread because of unsafe sex practices. The CDC has recommended that sexually active men who have sex with anonymous or multiple partners must get screened for syphilis at least once in every six months. Syphilis could have fatal consequences and can lead to blindness and stroke.

"After being on the verge of elimination in 2000 in the United States, syphilis cases have rebounded", says the CDC report.