TOKYO, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — The number of congenital syphilis cases in Japan has reached a record high by surpassing 12,000 so far this year, data from the country’s health authority showed on Friday.
A total of 188 syphilis cases were reported in Japan during the week on Oct. 23-29, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in its infectious diseases weekly report.
This brought the total number of cases to 12,434 this year, said the report. This is the fastest rate of increase since comparable data became available in 1999.
Congenital syphilis, transmitted chiefly through sexual contact, can cause rashes and abnormalities in newborns. Infected children can develop symptoms such as inflammation of the eyes and hearing loss in a few years, even if they show no symptoms as infants.
A complete cure is possible for the disease if proper treatment is given at an early stage, but serious complications may develop in the brain and heart if syphilis is left untreated.
Local experts advised that infections should be treated before pregnancy to avoid passing them on to newborn babies.
