It’s Baaack…

Yesterday, health officials announced that the city is currently experiencing a spike in syphilis cases, explaining that [risky sexual behavior] with multiple partners could be a contributing factor. You don’t say!

The city’s rate of [7.2 cases per 100,000 people] is more than double the national rate. During the first three months of this year, 260 cases were reported—compared to 128 during the same period last year. Men accounted for 96 percent of the new cases, with most occurring among the homosexual population, while women contributed 10 cases.

For those of you who failed sex ed, [syphilis] is one of those pesky STD thingies you’ve heard so much about. It can be treated with a single dose of penicillin, but failing to do so can cause brain and nerve damage, sometimes death—even in you’ve only slept with one person like a certain [chaste Übermensch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nietzsche) I’m thinking of.

Photo courtesy of [Simon Davison on Flickr ]