The troubling rise in congenital syphilis

This is something which Sasaki Chiwawa, who writes about Japanese youth culture and sex work, also found in her conversations with sex workers. Chiwawa says more and more sex workers are not using condoms and there is no obligation on the part of customers to be tested for STIs. Should sex workers contract an infection, they tend to put it down to “bad luck,” says Chiwawa. “Most of them prioritise making money over the risk.”

For most health officials, the path to tackle syphilis is clear – we already have the drugs to combat it as penicillin still remains the best treatment despite a rising incidence of antibiotic resistance. More testing, better outreach to counter the stigma attached to the disease along with greater public awareness to encourage safer sexual practices all have a much bigger role to play.

“We are social creatures, so there should be no more shame in an STI diagnosis than catching a cold,” says Crossman. “We are trying to change the focus of STI testing from something scary and judgemental to something that is part of sexual wellbeing – an important part of having a safe and enjoyable sex life.”

But scientists have so far failed to arrive at a single theory on is why syphilis is rising faster than other STIs. There is no strong evidence to suggest that the strains in circulation have become any more virulent, says Mena. Antibiotic resistance is also not prevalent enough to explain the spikes, says Bogoch.

For his part, Tushar continues to get tested every three months.

“We should be comfortable talking about syphilis,” he says. “So called well-informed people turn to accusations as opposed to thinking about it scientifically. We are having sex – stuff happens.”

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