In an attempt to head off a syphilis outbreak, Scott County health officials are warning Davenport residents who think they may be at risk for the disease to seek testing.

In the past few months, officials have confirmed four cases of syphilis locally, all among men who had unprotected sex with other men they had met in Internet chat rooms. The men, all under age 30, each had between one and four sexual partners who have not yet been notified of the cases. Dr. Louis Katz, medical director of the county Health Department, said a common source of infection has not been identified.

Since one of the infected men is bisexual, Katz said there is concern that syphilis may spread to other populations of sexually active people.

"The bottom line is we want to let the at-risk population know that we're seeing an unusual amount of cases in Scott County," said Katz. The four cases mark the first early-stage syphilis outbreak in the Davenport area since 2000.

Because the men met over the Internet, contacting partners of the infected men has been difficult, Katz noted. "The issue of using Web sites is complicated by legality, and the county attorney is looking into that," he said. "There has been one chat room that has been identified in these cases, but I've been cautioned not to share it until legalities have been worked out."

Scott County officials said the outbreak is expected to be contained, adding that they know of no other syphilis cases in Iowa.

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