Syphilis cases on the rise in EU, up 70 pct in Czechia from 2010-17

Syphilis cases are on the rise throughout Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned.

In the Czech Republic, ECDC data show a 70 percent increase in reported cases between the years 2010 and 2017, the last year for which complete data is available.

Despite the rise in reported cases, the Czech rate of infection is less than half the European Union average.

Some 30,000 syphilis cases were reported in the 28 EU Member States in 2016, when the average incidence rate was 6.1 cases per 100, 000 people.