The number of people infected with the sexually transmitted disease syphilis reported in Japan last year was about 13,000, a 1.6-fold increase from the previous year, and the highest number since the current method of collecting statistics began. That's what I found out in the summary of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the number of people infected with syphilis reported in Japan last year was 12,966 as a preliminary figure, 1.6 times more than the previous year's 7,983. This is the highest number since 1999, when statistics began to be collected.
In 2012, the number of people infected with syphilis was 875, but in 10 years the number has increased 15 times.
Experts say that while workers and users of the sex industry account for a certain percentage of infected people, it is also possible that the infection spreads through sexual activity with unspecified people met through the Internet. is.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is spread primarily through sexual contact and can be treated with drugs, but can cause serious symptoms if left untreated.
Professor Takashi Kawana of Nihon University, who is an auditor of the Japanese Association for Sexually Infectious Diseases, said, "It's surprising that there are 10,000 syphilis patients in Japan, and I think it's a very high number. If you think you might have, it's important to get tested right away."