St. Paul Legal Ledger

"Early syphilis cases were up 40 percent in Minnesota in 2008, compared with a year earlier, and health officials are expressing concern over the rise.

Early syphilis, or infection of less than a year, is the most infectious stage of the disease.

Preliminary data from the Minnesota Department of Health show that 159 early syphilis cases were reported in 2008, compared to 114 cases in 2007. Of the cases in 2008, 97 percent were males, and new infections continued to be centered within the Twin Cities metropolitan area."