What is it and how is it passed on?
Syphilis is a bacterial infection, sometimes called 'the pox'. It has several stages: primary and secondary stages, which are very infectious, and the third or latent stage, which occur if the infection is left untreated.
Syphilis is easily passed on through:
- vaginal, oral or anal sex
- sharing sex toys
- intimate close body contact with syphilis sores or rashes
- from a mother to her unborn baby
You can't catch syphilis from hugging, sharing baths or towels, or from toilet seats or swimming pools.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of syphilis can be difficult to recognise and can be missed. They can take up to three months to show after sex with an infected person.
Primary stage syphilis:
- Three to four weeks after infection, one or more painless sores appear. In women, these may be on the vulva (lips of the vagina), urethra (tube where the urine comes out) or cervix (entrance to the womb). In men, they may be on the penis or foreskin.
- Sores can also appear around the anus and mouth in both sexes and are very infectious. They may take up to six weeks to heal.
Secondary stage syphilis:
- If the infection isn't treated, three to six weeks after the sores have gone the following symptoms appear: a non-itchy rash that covers the whole body; wart-like growths on the vulva or around the anus; a flu-like illness, including swollen glands, sore throat and headache; white patches in the mouth; patchy hair loss.
- These symptoms can last several weeks or months. Second stage syphilis is very infectious.
What happens if it isn't treated?
Once the sores and rash have cleared up, there may be no symptoms for many years. This is called third stage or latent syphilis.
Latent syphilis develops about ten years after first infection. It can cause very serious damage to the heart, brain, eyes, other internal organs and nervous system which can be fatal.
Testing and treatment
Tests shouldn't be painful, but may be uncomfortable. They may include:
- blood and urine samples
- taking a swab from the sores
- examining the genitals and entire body
- an internal examination for women
Treatment is simple during the primary and secondary stages, and involves either a single antibiotic injection or two-week course of antibiotic tablets. It can also be treated during the third or latent stage, but any damage done to the body may be irreversible.
Any unprotected vaginal, oral and anal sex should be avoided until treatment is completed and the infection has cleared up. Direct contact between the sores and rashes and a partner should also be avoided until treatment is complete.
To avoid re-infection, all sexual partners should also be treated.
Treatment can be safely given to pregnant women with no risk to the unborn baby. Left untreated, syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.
Where to go for help and advice
You can talk to your GP or go to a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. Such clinics diagnose and treat all STIs for free. They're completely confidential and your GP won't be informed without your consent. You can go to any clinic in the country for advice or treatment.
How to avoid STIs
1. Before you have sex, talk to your partner about how to protect yourselves.
2. A male or female condom can provide protection from most STIs if used correctly every time you have sex.
3. Become familiar with how to use condoms and have a supply ready.
4. Seek advice straight away if you think you've been at risk.
Syphilis News:
DIATHERIX Laboratories opens rapid response diagnostic panels for STD, HSV - DIATHERIX Laboratories ,adds a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) panel and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel to its line up of highly sensitive, rapid response diagnostic panels. The HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 and the STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, many of which cannot be accurately identified by current testing methods. These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, etc. and may lead to blindness, infertility or complications during pregnancy.
Cash rewards help combat STIs in rural Africa, study finds - Giving out cash can be an effective tool in combating sexually transmitted infections in rural Africa, according to a new study conducted jointly by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the Development Research Group at the World Bank and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania.
Inadequate funding for research, prevention will not help eradicate HIV in Quebec - On the XVIII International AIDS Conference's Eve (Vienna, Austria, July 18th to 23rd 2010), Mark Wainberg, PhD, co-director at Réseau Sida/Maladies infectieuses (FRSQ) and Dr. Réjean Thomas, president of clinique médicale l'Actuel denounce chronic underfunding in research and prevention related to HIV in Quebec and it's dramatic impact on the HIV epidemic and STI's. Researchers insist that the government double the amounts dedicated to these sectors.
Study shows NAT programs increase HIV detection yield by 23% - Community-based HIV testing programs generally use only HIV antibody testing, but nucleic acid testing can detect the presence of HIV earlier. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine studied more than 3,000 patients who sought HIV testing in community-based clinics in or near San Diego to examine the yield of testing with a rapid test plus NAT and to see whether patients would be willing to access their results by phone or computer.
Azithromycin as effective as penicillin for early-stage syphilis: Study - In a clinical trial involving HIV-negative volunteers with early-stage syphilis, researchers have found that antibiotic pills (azithromycin) are as effective as penicillin injections in curing early-stage syphilis. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
New initiative to reduce health inequities - A major new initiative by the University of Maryland aims to eliminate health disparities in the state and extend the impact of health reform. The university's School of Public Health has recruited a team of nationally recognized faculty-researchers who will create action programs to improve primary care and expand public health outreach, so as to reduce the high rates of chronic disease in Maryland's medically underserved communities.
U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean - Representatives from the U.S. and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Tuesday signed an agreement to expand PEPFAR programs to 12 other Caribbean nations during a gathering in Georgetown, Guyana, Agence France-Presse reports (5/11).
New CD4 test kit can improve quality of life for HIV and AIDS patients - The use of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests for the measurement of CD4 T-cells, a marker of the immune system will be an important factor in improving the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS especially in developing and resource-poor countries.
Social changes spawn massive resurgence of syphilis in China - Despite the virtual elimination of syphilis in China in the 1950s, the sexually transmitted infection is currently at epidemic proportions in the country and rates of infection will continue to grow unless a more comprehensive, coordinated effort of control is implemented, according to a perspective published in the May 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Anesthetist may have infected patients during procedure - There has been a breach in the strict infection prevention protocols followed by health care staff including doctors presumably by an Anesthetist. Nearly 250 patients in Western Australia might have been already infected with HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis.
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