ECDC’s annual surveillance reports provide a wealth of epidemiological data to support decision-making at the national level. They are mainly intended for public health professionals and policymakers involved in disease prevention and control programmes.

ECDC’s annual surveillance reports provide a wealth of epidemiological data to support decision-making at the national level. They are mainly intended for public health professionals and policymakers involved in disease prevention and control programmes.

This report outlines suggested steps to develop, implement and coordinate a national STI strategy and action plan. It includes approaches to ensure the necessary stakeholder engagement for such strategies to succeed.

Since 2010, syphilis notification rates in the EU/EAA have been on the increase, but in recent years this trend seems to accelerate, predominantly among men having sex with men. Similar trends have been observed in high-income countries outside the EU/EAA. While the overall trend remained relatively stable, outbreaks or clusters of syphilis cases have also been reported among heterosexual populations in the EU/EEA. In several high-income countries (e.g. USA, Japan), increases in congenital syphilis occurred in connection with increases in syphilis notifications among women.

In 2017, 33 189 confirmed syphilis cases were reported in 28 EU/EEA Member States. Reported syphilis rates were nine times higher in men than in women and peaked among 25–34-year-old men. Two-thirds of syphilis cases with information on transmission category were reported in men who have sex with men (MSM). The trend in syphilis rates has been on the rise since 2011, particularly among men, mainly due to an increase in the number of cases among MSM. The slight increase of syphilis rates among women, seen already in 2016, continued in 2017.

In 2017, 36 congenital syphilis cases were reported in 23 EU/EEA Member States, at a crude rate of 1.1 cases per 100 000 live births. The trend for reported congenital syphilis cases has remained stable in recent years.