Chilean lawmakers warn of historic syphilis outbreak in elderly

Chilean lawmakers from the Health Commission have issued a warning regarding a historic surge in syphilis cases among adults over the age of 60. According to the ‘Annual Abbreviated Epidemiological Report on Syphilis, Chile, 2025’, there were 11,155 total notifications nationwide, marking a new historical peak. Of these, 1,545 cases were recorded in individuals over 60, representing 13.9% of the national total.

Lawmakers Roberto Arroyo and Lilian Betancurt have called on the Ministry of Health to implement urgent prevention and detection measures. Deputy Arroyo described the situation as a ‘red alert,’ noting that the sexual lives of older adults have historically been overlooked, leading to a lack of targeted sexual education and prevention campaigns.

Deputy Betancurt raised concerns regarding primary healthcare, questioning whether medical teams are actively screening for these infections during routine check-ups or if diagnostic biases are preventing timely detection. The parliamentarians have formally requested information on existing sexual education programs and active screening efforts in clinics for the elderly population.