The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has expressed concern about recent cases of ocular syphilis — a sexually transmitted disease that has led to blindness in some individuals — that have been reported in men who have sex with men in Washington state, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As many as 15 cases have been confirmed since December and are currently under investigation. In December and January, Washington state health officials reported that six people have been diagnosed with ocular syphilis — including two who have suffered blindness — according to recent Washington Department of Health public warnings. Four cases were reported in King County, where Seattle is located, including three men who have sex with men. Three of the individuals were also HIV-positive.

On February 20, the San Francisco Department of Public Health issued a health advisory on ocular syphilis that reported seven cases since December. Five of the affected individuals are men who have sex with men, and six were HIV-positive. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) also issued an advisory on March 5 about two cases of ocular syphilis that are currently under investigation.

“These new cases of ocular syphilis highlight the importance of ongoing, regular check-ups for sexually-active individuals who feel they may be at risk, particularly men who have sex with men,” AHF president Michael Weinstein said. “We call on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to step up and do more to alert and educate medical providers about ocular syphilis. County officials should also develop a strategic plan for reducing syphilis cases, including putting out a monthly update to the media as well as running the monthly update as an advertisement in LGBT publications to educate the public.”

Ocular syphilis is typically a complication of primary or secondary syphilis, and some strains of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, may be more likely to cause eye or central-nervous-system disease. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on sexually transmitted disease determined that California’s syphilis rate was second in the United States only to Georgia.

In November, AHF launched a billboard campaign in Los Angeles County — which the CDC also named in its recent report as having the highest number of primary and secondary syphilis cases of any county in the nation.

The billboards featured a warning, “Syphilis Explosion”, and promote www.freeSTDcheck.org, a website with locations for free STD testing and affordable care for the treatment of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis through AHF. The organization also recently released an online video as part of the campaign at  http://youtu.be/2hwJaPAxUrU. For information, visit www.aidshealth.org.