Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
sent out a clinical advisory on an apparent increase in ocular syphilis in the
United States. According to the
Advisory:
“Since December 2014, at least 15 cases of ocular syphilis
from California and Washington have been reported to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. At least five other states have suspect cases
under investigation. The majority of cases have been among MSM with HIV; and a
few cases have occurred among HIV-uninfected persons including heterosexual men
and women. Several of the cases have resulted in significant sequelae including
blindness.”
Here to talk about the Advisory is Dr. Khalil Ghanem, a
syphilis expert at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Ghanem is an associate
professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins’ Bayview Medical
Center and the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health.
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