There were 6,900 new cases of syphilis in China from January to August this year. The CDC calls for early diagnosis and treatment.

[Reporter Hou Jiayu/Taipei Report] Syphilis is a chronic systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium "Treponema pallidum". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out that from January to August 2026, there were 6,900 new cases of syphilis in the country, an increase of 3% compared with the same period last year. Cases among women and young people aged 15 to 24 also increased by 4% each. 68 cases of congenital syphilis were reported during the same period, and prevention and treatment cannot be lax. Deputy Director Lin Mingcheng reminded that if pregnant women initially screen positive for RPR or VDRL, they can use blood from the same tube to confirm the test for early diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of vertical infection between mother and child.

The Department of Disease Control and Prevention issued a circular to the medical community today (10th) stating that from January to August 2026, there were 6,900 new syphilis cases in the country, an increase of 3% from the 6,702 cases in the same period in 2025, of which 78% were male and 70% were concentrated in the 15 to 44-year-old group. It is worth noting that there were 1,538 and 1,340 reported cases in women and young people aged 15 to 24 years old, respectively, both an increase of 4% from the same period last year.

Lin Mingcheng said that syphilis is known as the "great imitator" in medicine, mainly because it presents diverse and atypical symptoms at different stages of the disease, which can easily be mistaken for a cold or a common skin disease. What is even more troublesome is that syphilis symptoms may temporarily subside on their own even without medication, causing patients to mistakenly think they are cured and not seek medical treatment. However, Treponema pallidum is still spreading in the body and is contagious, and may even progress to severe tertiary syphilis, causing the invisible chain of transmission to continue to spread. Therefore, only early diagnosis and precise drug administration are the keys to blocking transmission.

The prevention and treatment of congenital syphilis cannot be relaxed. The CDC pointed out that 68 cases of congenital syphilis were reported from January to August 2026. Although it was lower than the 79 cases in the same period in 2025, it was still higher than the 22 cases in 2023 and the 39 cases in 2024.

Lin Mingcheng added that the congenital syphilis notification mechanism is that after the pregnant woman herself is diagnosed with syphilis, the child will be notified as suspected congenital syphilis, and the follow-up must be continued until the child is 15 months old. Therefore, the number of notifications is not equal to the final number of confirmed cases. Some cases may also have false positives due to the mother's test, and it is finally confirmed that he is not infected.

He reminded that if pregnant women are infected with syphilis but not treated in time, it may cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or congenital syphilis. Therefore, syphilis screening should be implemented during pregnancy and treatment should be received as soon as possible once diagnosed. Currently, long-acting penicillin (Benzathine penicillin G) is the first-line treatment drug and the only effective drug to prevent vertical infection between mother and child.

Due to the recent tight supply of drugs, some medical institutions do not have them on standby. The CDC recommends that medical institutions have appropriate reserves to prevent patients from delaying treatment due to referrals or waiting for drugs.

In addition, if the prenatal check-up of pregnant women is positive for RPR or VDRL, they can use the same tube of blood to perform a TPPA or TPHA confirmation test, eliminating the need for further follow-up visits and blood drawing procedures, which can help speed up diagnosis, notification and treatment.

The CDC calls on the medical community to report those found to meet the notifiable case definition of syphilis in accordance with the law and receive treatment as soon as possible in accordance with clinical guidelines. Pregnant women who are positive in the initial screening should complete confirmation tests as soon as possible, and if the infection is confirmed, they should receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible. When reporting pregnancy cases, the pregnancy status and gestational weeks should also be recorded to facilitate follow-up tracking by public health units.