Infections might be harbinger of a nationwide spike.
Syphilis, on the rise across the United States for more than a decade, surged in Philadelphia last year, a worrisome signal that yet-to-be reported national numbers might reflect a similar pattern.
Infections rose 36 percent in 2016, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported Wednesday, driven largely by men who have sex with men. National numbers lag a year behind, but other big cities are experiencing similar spikes, said Caroline Johnson, acting deputy commissioner, who oversees disease control. "It's going on all over," she said.
