How the incidence of syphilis has changed in the Ulyanovsk region / 73online.ru

In several In Russian regions, the incidence of syphilis has increased. In Moscow, per 100 thousand population, the incidence rate in 2022 was 4.2 times higher than the Russian average. In the Republic of Tyva, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Amur, Kaluga and Tomsk regions – 1.6–3.4 times higher than the Russian average. Ulyanovsk is not on the alarm list, but you shouldn’t let your guard down. Gchief physician of the Ulyanovsk Dermatovenerological Dispensary Magomed Magomedov told 73online.ru, why and how people become infected with syphilis.

Over the 10 months of 2023, 30 cases of syphilis were registered in the region. Over the past five years, the number of patients with syphilis has been decreasing. Thus, in 2018, 52 cases were identified, during the 2020-2021 pandemic – 30 and 29 cases, respectively. There were 26 cases reported last year (see statistics below).

At the same time, according to information from the regional dermatovenerological clinic, men are infected more often than women.

The Ulyanovsk region leads in the minimum number of patients with syphilis in the Volga Federal District over the past five years and ranks last, 14th, in the list. The same picture emerges against the background of other regions – the Ulyanovsk region is in last position.

According to the head physician of the dermatovenous dispensary, Magomed Magomedov, the situation was not always so favorable. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, 3,700 cases were detected per year in the region. Now the situation in the region has stabilized.

– Since 2003, there has been no such problem in the Ulyanovsk region. Before this, there was no system for examining patients; now Ulyanovsk residents, when admitted to a hospital or receiving emergency medical care, undergo EMDS – an express method for diagnosing syphilis (blood test for syphilis). In addition, people have become more discerning, and young people increasingly prefer virtual communication to personal communication,” the doctor notes.

At the same time, isolated cases of the disease are detected among migrants. This is due to the lack of control by government agencies – examinations of migrant workers are carried out in private clinics. In addition, many of them are cunning: one person, having a negative result, can take a blood test for syphilis several times for other compatriots.

Most often, syphilis is contracted through sexual contact, so people who are promiscuous are at risk. But there are other ways. A pregnant patient can transmit a dangerous infection to her child through the placenta. You can become infected through a blood transfusion from a sick donor. Infection through domestic means is possible – through the saliva and semen of the patient. This is typical for children who are in the same bed with their parents. A sick mother can infect her baby while breastfeeding if she has a rash on her nipple. Doctors – obstetricians-gynecologists, urologists, surgeons, dentists – rarely become infected if safety regulations are not followed.

Symptoms of syphilis include rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and hair loss. Within 10 days after contact, an ulcer with clear boundaries may appear at the site of contact, but most often the disease is asymptomatic.

Doctors warn: syphilis needs proper treatment, and not “according to information from the Internet.” Advanced forms of the disease can lead to damage to the heart, brain and other internal organs. Congenital syphilis is dangerous due to deafness, gait disturbance, joint damage, and heart defects in the child. With syphilis, an unstable immunity develops, so you can become infected with it again.

Ulyanovsk residents can get tested for syphilis and seek medical help at the regional dermatovenerological dispensary. The procedure is free, you must present your passport.