Written question asked by Caroline Johnson (Conservative) on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 June 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 16 June 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Syphilis

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce incidence of syphilis.

Answer

The UK Health Security Agency published a national Syphilis Response Plan in March 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syphilis-public-health-england-action-plan/ukhsa-syphilis-response-plan

The plan focuses on four key areas: preventing infection; improving testing; ensuring timely treatment; and eliminating congenital syphilis, where infection is passed from mother to baby during pregnancy. Actions include raising public and professional awareness, strengthening prevention activity, expanding and optimising access to testing, improving care pathways, and supporting partner notification to reduce onward transmission.

During 2025, national provision of doxycycline post exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) through sexual health services was implemented as a new intervention. This followed evidence of its impact on reducing syphilis incidence in clinical trials and real-world application. United Kingdom guidelines recommend doxyPEP for gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men and transgender women at elevated risk of acquiring syphilis.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 8179
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Syphilis
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Syphilis

Secondary information

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