Dating sites blamed for syphilis rise
ONLINE dating websites and “casual dating” apps like Grindr and Tinder have been blamed for a rise of nearly 80% in diagnosed cases of syphilis across Wales.
Public Health Wales has said that between 2016 and 2018 there was a 79% increase in syphilis cases in the country – up from 138 cases to 247.
Last year health chiefs said cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) had rocketed in Wales because of a boom in “casual sex” through online dating apps.
Zoe Couzens, sexual health lead for Public Health Wales, said: “Because syphilis can cause long-term complications if not adequately treated, we collect more surveillance data about identified cases.
“Some syphilis cases report a large number of contacts, one case having 100 contacts [sexual partners] in 2017.
“The average annual number of contacts in the previous three months appears to be increasing in recent years, and was 2.8 in 2018.
“Many of the cases (24%) meet in bars or clubs, but the internet and dating apps are a significant factor in syphilis cases.
“A third of cases reported using this as a means to meet sexual partners.
“The use of ‘casual dating apps’ is often related to a high proportion of contacts being untraceable (44%) which means that they are not tested and treated and so they can go on to develop complications and to infect other sexual partners.”
Ms Couzens said surveillance data showed nearly half of cases came to the clinics because they had symptoms, but close to a third were found through routine screening and didn’t have any signs that they were infected.
Some 9% were treated through tracing contacts of people known to have the infection.
“As syphilis is tested for as part of antenatal screening, nine women were identified through this service, and were treated before it caused any serious problems with their pregnancy,” she continued.
“A quarter of all of the cases were also HIV positive.”
According to the NHS, symptoms of syphilis can include small painless sores or ulcers, blotchy red rashes, small skin growths or white patches in the mouth. It may also cause flu-like symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, joint pains and fever.
Public Health Wales said: “We would encourage anyone having unprotected sex to attend any of the sexual health clinics in Wales.”
Testing is the only way to find out if someone has syphilis and the best place to do so is a sexual health clinic or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic.
Syphilis can usually be treated with a short course of antibiotics.
However, if left untreated it can spread to the brain or other parts of the body, causing serious problems.