[Syphilis epidemiological report. Chile, 2016]

Syphilis is produced by Treponema pallidum, which is acquired mainly through sexual contact and transplacental, but can also be acquired by transfusion of contaminated human blood and direct accidental inoculation. The natural history of the infection is characterized by three symptomatic clinical stages: primary, secondary and tertiary syphilis; these last two are preceded by asymptomatic or latent stages of the disease: early latent syphilis and late latent syphilis. This report presents the epidemiological situation of syphilis in Chile up to 2016, using as a method the descriptive analysis of cases that entered surveillance. In the last 5 years the syphilis rate remained relatively stable between 22 and 24 cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants (habs). In 2016, 4,147 cases were reported, showing a rate of 22.8 per one hundred thousand inhabitants. In relation to age, the greatest risk was found in the group of 20 to 34 years. The year 2016 increased the gap between the sexes, by increasing the rate in men. According to geographical distribution, in 2016 the highest notification rates are presented in the regions of the extreme north and center of the country, with the highest risk being the regions of Tarapacá, Antofagasta and Valparaíso. Congenital syphilis showed a progressive decrease in the number of cases since 2012 (n = 39) to 2016 (n = 24), whose rate was 0.1 per thousand live births.