China's Ministry of Health on Monday issued a plan urging AIDS-level measures to be taken to prevent and control the spread of syphilis after the number of reported cases soared over the past ten years.

Statistics from the ministry show that China registered some 330,000 cases of syphilis infections, four times the figure in 1999.

Syphilis can be transmitted through sex, blood or from mother to baby. Without treatment, the virus develops to a mature stage in two or three years and can attack multiple organs.

However, the disease can be cured if discovered early and properly treated.

According to the plan on the country's prevention and control of syphilis from 2010 to 2020, AIDS prevention and control committees at various government levels are being directed to draw up a similar plan for combating syphilis, and the results of preventing and controlling the disease should be taken into the committee officials' work evaluations.

Within the plan, the ministry encouraged financial departments to allocate special funds for syphilis prevention and control, especially in areas where the outbreak is considered to be serious.

The ministry also urged AIDS prevention and control expert groups across the country to add more experts on syphilis, and ordered more medical workers be trained to care for syphilis patients.

According to the plan, the ministry set a goal to have 90 percent of all syphilis patients to receive proper medical treatment by the end of 2020.