China's Syphilis Epidemic: A Systematic Review of Seroprevalence Studies

To explore the magnitude of China's syphilis epidemic, the researchers investigated prevalence of the STD among low-risk and high-risk groups in the country. They conducted a systematic literature review of syphilis seroprevalence studies using PubMed (five articles) and the Chinese Periodicals Database (169 articles).

Between 2000 and 2005, the median syphilis prevalence rates of select low-risk groups were as follows: antenatal women (0.45 percent); premarital individuals (0.66 percent); and food and service workers (0.3 percent). The median syphilis prevalence rates of select high-risk groups were as follows: incarcerated female sex workers (12.49 percent); drug users (6.81 percent); and men who have sex with men (14.56 percent). Prevalence had increased across all the groups in the last decade; the highest increases were seen among high-risk groups

"Syphilis infection is increasing among low- and high-risk groups in China, suggesting unsafe sexual behavior that may accelerate HIV transmission and challenge current syphilis prevention and control efforts," the authors concluded.

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