Syphilis cases are on the rise again in Columbus, city health leaders said yesterday. In the first five months of this year, 115 cases of the sexually transmitted disease were reported, compared with 79 cases during the same period last year.

Syphilis cases are on the rise again in Columbus, city health leaders said yesterday.

In the first five months of this year, 115 cases of the sexually transmitted disease were reported, compared with 79 cases during the same period last year.

Black women younger than 29 and black men who reported having sex with other men younger than 34 are being affected the most, according to Columbus Public Health. Two babies have been born with the disease.

The increase might be caused in part by an increase in risky sexual behavior, said Dr. Mysheika Williams Roberts, the city�s medical director and assistant health commissioner.

Outbreaks lead health organizations to raise awareness about prevention and treatment. That helps to decrease the number of cases, she said, but �as people get weary of hearing the messages and taking the necessary precautions, they put themselves in situations where they are at greater risk.�

After an outbreak in 2008, reported syphilis cases declined in Columbus. But numbers have been increasing in the past couple of years, with 249 cases in 2012 and 261 in 2013. There also were increases in 2008, 2007, 2004, 2001 and 1998.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 16,663 cases of primary and secondary syphilis nationwide in 2013. Ohio had 1,094 cases last year, according to the state Department of Health.

When syphilis is spread, a sore appears where the disease entered the body. The sores are often painless, which can lead people to ignore them, said Dr. Randy Wexler, an assistant professor of family medicine at Ohio State University.

�If you ignore the painless ulcer from the beginning, and you feel crappy later on, you can think it�s another illness,� he said. �Because of that, people can spread the disease without knowing it.�

The disease can progress through its primary stage to later stages that produce a rash and � in the rare, late stages � dementia, paralysis and blindness.

�If syphilis is not treated, it quietly can be progressive,� Wexler said.

The disease can be treated with antibiotics, but any damage already caused cannot be undone.

Practicing safe sex is the best method for prevention, Roberts said. �Protect yourself, protect your partner.�

The city will be sending letters to area physicians informing them of the increase in cases and encouraging them to test patients if syphilis could even be an option, said Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez.

Pregnant women should also be screened and treated for the disease, and women who are not getting prenatal care should have their babies tested at birth.

�The symptoms can be very mild and painless in the beginning,� Wexler said. �If you have a sore, even if it doesn�t hurt, you should get it checked out.�

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