Syphilis on the Rise in Europe

Promiscuous gay men engaging in unprotected sex are fueling a Resurgence of syphilis in Europe, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said Dec. 20.

Outbreaks have been documented in Amsterdam, Berlin, London and Paris.

France has seen a 1,600 percent increase in recent years, Britain a 1,000 percent increase, Germany a 300 percent increase and the Netherlands a 200 percent increase.

Symptoms of the infection include a distinctive ulcer and a rash.

Officials said that HIV-positive men having unsafe sex with each other may be particularly to blame, and that Web hookup sites have made arranging such trysts easier.

Half of Britain's recent syphilis cases have been in HIV-positive gay men.