A rising number of syphilis infections in Arlington is driving a push to do better at testing and treating the sexually transmitted infection.
In the most recent data, from 2024, Arlington’s rate of syphilis infection — 31.2 cases per 100,000 population — was nearly 50% higher than the Virginia rate of 21.4 cases per 100,000, and was more than double that of Northern Virginia as a whole (14.3 cases per 100,000).
The 2024 county rate was the highest since 2019 and the third highest in the past decade…