HEALTH EDUCATION

Syphilis

What it is
Syphilis (SIFF-ill-iss) is a STI that is caused by bacteria. Infected people often show no symptoms of syphilis for a period of years, but untreated syphilis can lead to serious complications.

In its earliest stage of infection, a single sore (or sometimes a few) appears on the penis, vagina, anus, rectum, and sometimes the lips or mouth, usually about three weeks after infection. These sores (also known as chancres) are small, painless, and heal in a few weeks.

Untreated, syphilis progresses to a secondary stage. Symptoms can include:

• Skin rashes

• Swollen glands

• Fever

• Sore throat

• Fatigue

• Weight loss

• Hair loss

• Muscle ache

These symptoms will also usually pass without treatment.
If syphilis is still not treated it advances to the late stages of the disease, which starts when the secondary symptoms listed above disappear.

As the infection lives in the body, it can cause potentially fatal damage to the eyes, heart, brain, liver, nerves, blood vessels, bones, and joints.

Symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include:

• Impaired muscle movement

• Paralysis

• Blindness

• Dementia

How it’s spread
Syphillis is spread through:

• vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse

• kissing (with sores)

• to the fetus during pregnancy

Syphilis is especially contagious when sores are present early in the disease — the liquid that oozes from them is very infectious. People are usually not contagious during the latent phases of the first four years of syphilis infections. Untreated syphilis remains latent for many years or a lifetime, but can be spread from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

How it’s treated
Both partners can be successfully treated with medication — but damage caused by the disease in the later phases cannot be reversed.

How it’s prevented
The only sure way to avoid syphilis is to abstain from sex or to limit sex to partners you KNOW to be uninfected.

Condoms reduce the risk of infection with syphilis during vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse.

What it does
Over a period of years, untreated syphilis can cause serious damage to the nervous system, heart, or brain. Syphillis can also cause death when untreated.

The effect of syphilis on a fetus is very serious. If untreated, the risks of stillbirth or serious birth defects are high. Birth defects include damage to the heart, brain, and skeleton as well as blindness. It is very important for pregnant women to consider testing for syphilis early, and, sometimes, throughout their pregnancies. Pregnant women with syphilis can be treated to prevent damage to the fetus.

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