China’s Ministry of Health announced plans on Monday to contain the spread of syphilis, setting a target to wipe out congenital syphilis by 2020, South China Morning Post reported. Health authorities also pledged to cut the increase in general syphilis infections to less than 5% a year by 2015. The rate has been growing by more than 14% a year for the past 10 years. To achieve its goal China plans to launch syphilis education campaigns targeted at migrant workers, with visits at factories, markets and construction sites. Safe sex education and the distribution of free condoms will also be conducted in public places where groups at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and syphilis, such as homosexual men, congregate. The plan also suggests that China’s basic medical insurance system cover syphilis treatments. Though the disease was eliminated 50 years ago, 327,433 new syphilis cases were reported in China last year, while 10,757 of them were congenital. Unlike HIV/AIDS, syphilis can be prevented and cured with inexpensive antibiotics such as penicillin.
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