Tokyo reports 700 syphilis cases through mid-March
The number of syphilis cases in Japan in 2024 totaled around 14,663 cases. This was just under the record-breaking number of 14,906 patients in 2023.
The syphilis problem appears to continue into early 2025. Through March 19, 2,672 total syphilis cases have been reported, including 700 in Tokyo alone. So this surely has Japan on a trajectory of well over 10,000 cases in a year once again.
The Japanese government has mandated that all diagnosed cases of syphilis be reported under the Notifiable Disease Surveillance law since 1948. The annual number of reported syphilis cases throughout the country ranged from 500 to 900 between 2000 and 2012. However, the number has indicated a steady and alarming increase since then: 1228 in 2013, 1661 in 2014, 2690 in 2015, 4575 in 2016, 5826 in 2017, 7002 in 2018, 7,983 cases in 2021, 13,228 in 2022 (the first time eclipsing the 10,000 mark).
Prior to 2022, the last time Japan saw patient numbers rise above the 10,000 mark was in 1967.
In addition, the number of congenital syphilis cases saw a record high in 2023 with 37 (I have not seen last years numbers).
Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube
Syphilis, typically more common in men in Japan, has sharply increased among young pregnant women and newborns.
Syphilis cases saw a 15-times increase over the past decade and a half. In addition, incidents have increased 10 times among men and 23 times among women
In fact, one in about 200 pregnant teens was infected with syphilis in 2022, a nearly threefold increase in about six years, according to a survey conducted last year by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The survey received responses from 1,346 medical institutions nationwide that deliver children.
Syphilis is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) that can cause long-term complications if not treated correctly. Symptoms of syphilis in adults include a painless sore that will go away without treatment followed by a non-itchy body rash. If left untreated syphilis can lead to damage through the body including neurological and cardiovascular complications. Syphilis also increases the risk of HIV infection and, for women, can cause problems during pregnancy and for the newborn.
Congenital syphilis is a syphilis infection that is passed from a pregnant person who has syphilis to the fetus during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can cause stillbirth and infant death or result in lifelong disabilities. Congenital syphilis is preventable with timely testing and treatment with the antibiotic Bicillin L-A.