Surveillance of syphilis in Hainan prefecture in Qinghai province, 2004 - 2009

Objective To analyze the surveillance results of syphilis in Hainan prefecture in Qinghai from 2004 to 2009. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the surveillance data. Results A total of 1542 cases were reported during this period, of which phase Ⅰ cases accounted for 57.98%, phase Ⅱ cases for 7.98%, phase Ⅲ cases for 0.39%, congenital cases for 4.6% and latent cases for 29.05%. The average annual incidence of syphilis was 60.10/lakh with an annual increase of 40.15%. The annual increase of latent syphilis incidence was as high as 146.76%. More syphilis cases were reported in females than in males with the sex ratio of 1 ∶ 1.67. The cases were mainly distributed in age groups of 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49 years, accounting for 76.07% of the total. The case numbers were highest both in males and in females aged 20-29 years, accounting for 37.5% and 50.3% respectively. The incidence peak of phase Ⅰ, Ⅱ syphilis and latent syphilis in females was more than 5 years earlier than that in males, but for latent syphilis only, it was more than 10 years earlier. As for population distribution, the case number in herdsmen was highest, accounting for 59.9%, followed by farmers (17.25%) and household servants/the unemployed (3.76%). The phase Ⅱ cases in herdsmen accounted for 72.36% of the total, which posed a potential risk of syphilis transmission. Conclusion Syphilis has become a serious public health problem in Hainan prefecture, indicating the high risk of fast spread of AIDS when it is imported. It is necessary to take comprehensive prevention and control measures to stop the substantial increase of the disease cases