Expert of the Ministry of Health explained the increase in the incidence of syphilis

In 2022, the number of people infected with syphilis in RUSSIA increased sharply after a long-term decline.The Ministry of HEALTH explains this by the return of migrants after pandemic restrictions

Vladimir Chulanov, Chief Freelance Specialist of the Ministry of Health for Infectious Diseases, said on May 30 at the conference "Infectious Diseases - Actual Problems, Treatment and Prevention" that the incidence of syphilis has increased markedly in Russia in recent years. He called the increase in migration flows one of the main reasons for the increase in the incidence. He did not give specific indicators of the incidence.

At the request of RBC, the chief freelance specialist in dermatovenereology and cosmetology of the Ministry of Health Nikolai Potekaev revealed the dynamics of the incidence over the past 20 years. In 2000, the number of detected cases of syphilis in Russia was 239.4 thousand, in 2005 - 97.9 thousand, in 2010 - 63.7 thousand, in 2017 - 28.6 thousand, in 2018 -m - 24.5 thousand, in 2019 - 22 thousand, in 2020 - 15.3 thousand, in 2021 - 21.1 thousand, in 2022 - 27.8 thousand.

Potekaev assures that, as a result of the implementation of a series of medical and social programs in the country, there has been a steady decrease in the incidence of syphilis and that, compared with 2000, the number of detected diseases has decreased by 8.6 times.

He explains the sharp decline in the number of detected cases in 2020 with the epidemiological situation with  covid-19 . That year, there was a low level of accessibility of the population for medical care, as well as a decrease in the number of specialized appointments and preventive screenings. Also, in connection with the legislative restriction of migration processes, there was a significant decrease in foreign citizens arriving in Russia, who account for a significant part of the identified syphilis diseases, explained the chief freelance venereologist of the Ministry of Health.

“In 2021-2022, as the medical and economic consequences of COVID-19 leveled off, the number of migration flows to Russia again significantly increased, as well as the number of people seeking medical help in the country,” Potekaev continues. These factors are responsible for the increase in syphilis detection rates.

He also noted that in 2022 the incidence of syphilis among Russian citizens is lower than in 2019, that is, before the COVID-19 pandemic: 17.5 thousand cases of infection were detected in 2019, and 15.2 thousand in 2022.

Potekaev is sure that it is possible to compare January 2023 with January 2022 “only if the data are interpreted correctly and taking into account the medical and economic consequences of COVID-19,” including an increase in migration flows to Russia.

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Aleksey Mazus, chief freelance specialist on HIV infection at the Ministry of Health and the Moscow Department of Health, connects the positive dynamics of the incidence among Russians with the low level of registration of syphilis among patients with HIV infection. According to official data in the form of federal statistical observation No. 61, over the past two years there has been a downward trend in this indicator, which is now at the level of 0.2% among all examined, which actually indicates cases of infection.

Ekaterina Terentyeva, HEAD of the department of medical expertise at Invitro, notes that syphilis, like any infection, is characterized by waves of incidence, when periods of increase are replaced by periods of calm. The expert believes that now the cause of the increase in the incidence should be sought in society - the spread of syphilis is directly related to people's behavior, to social characteristics. Also, the growth may be due to an increase in the number of examinations for syphilis: the more people are examined, the more patients are detected, Terentyeva explained.

Another growth factor, according to her, can be considered the uncontrolled use of antibiotics , which leads to the transition of the disease to a latent form, and now the increase in the number of syphilis cases is mainly due to latent forms.

As for the volume of tests for syphilis performed at Invitro (several laboratory products from the company's research portfolio were analyzed), it remains at the level of 1.27-1.29 million tests per year, without significant fluctuations. The percentage of positive results also fluctuates slightly - from 1.3 to 1.4% from year to year, Terentyeva said, but noted that the Invitro data cannot be considered a full-fledged population screening, since the company's clients undergo tests for syphilis on their own initiative or by doctor's direction.