Syphilis incidence in Russia has been steadily declining, falling 11 times since 2000, an external expert at the Russian Health Ministry told Sputnik on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2023) Syphilis incidence in Russia has been steadily declining, falling 11 times since 2000, an external expert at the Russian Health Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
"The results of a number of medical and social programs have shown that there has been a steady decline in the syphilis incidence in Russia," Nikolay Potekaev said.
In 2000, the number of syphilis patients in Russia was 239,400, dropping in 2010 to 63,700 and to 15,300 in 2020, while increasing slightly to 21,100 in 2021, the expert said. Compared to 2000, the number of detected cases has decreased by 11.3 times, Potekaev added.
The low 2020 numbers can be attributed to a decline in testing because of the coronavirus pandemic, the expert noted. That year, the turnout for medical services was lower, with a marked decrease in the number of specialized appointments and preventive examinations, he explained.
The restrictions in migration during the pandemic period also resulted in a significant decrease in the number of foreign nationals coming to Russia, who had previously accounted for a significant part of detected syphilis cases, according to the specialist.
"In 2021, compared to 2020, as the medical and economic consequences of COVID-19 leveled off, there was an increase in migration flows to Russia and an increase in the number of people who constantly seek medical care in the country. This is due to the recovery of the pre-pandemic rates of syphilis detection," Potekaev explained.
Earlier in the day, Russian media outlet e1.ru reported on the surge in the syphilis incidence in various regions of Russia, citing among the reasons an increase in the number of people being tested for syphilis, people's irresponsible attitude to their health and uncontrolled use of antibiotics, which can cause the disease to go into latent form.
