Cases of syphilis and gonorrhea are on the increase, according to the Oregon Health Authority. And men who have sex with men are at particular risk.
The rate of early syphilis cases last year was the highest since 1989. And 96 percent of those cases were found in men.
The story is similar for gonorrhea. Cases jumped 18 percent last year and nearly 8 out of 10 were in males.
But Dr. Sean Schafer with Oregon Public Health says women need to be vigilant too.
"You know everyone who is sexually active is at risk of these infections, that they can be particularly bad if a woman who is pregnant acquires one," he said.
"They're not always easy to recognize so people need to get screened and that shouldn't be restricted to just men who have sex with men."
So far this year, two babies have been born with congenital syphilis; one died.
Schafer says the two diseases are curable with antibiotics.
Oregon Communicable Diseases Summary
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