Heterosexual transmission of infectious syphilis in central Scotland, 2009.

A local outbreak of infectious syphilis among heterosexual men and women was noted among residents of a National Health Services board in central Scotland in 2009. This is the first, and remains the only, such outbreak in Scotland reporting transmission in the heterosexual population. It was characterized by the young age of those infected. This highlights the need for increasing knowledge and awareness of syphilis infection among this group.