Syphilis

Syphilis Latest News

Sexually transmitted disease rates for U.S. adults fell last year, but syphilis in newborns continued to rise, according to new government data recently.

About Syphilis

• It is a preventable and curable bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause serious health problems if you do not treat it. 
• It is caused by the bacteria, Treponema pallidum.
• After the infection happens, syphilis bacteria can stay in the body for many years without causing symptoms. But the infection can become active again.

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Syphilis Transmission

• People usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it.
• People get it if any part of their body touches the sore or rash of someone with syphilis.
• It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and sometimes through breastfeeding.

Syphilis Symptoms

• Syphilis develops in stages. 
• The disease starts as a sore that’s often painless and typically appears on the genitals, rectum, or mouth.
• Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes.
• If you do not treat it, syphilis usually causes a non-itchy skin rash, often on your hands and feet.
• Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.
• Without treatment, syphilis can damage the heart, brain, or other organs. It can become life-threatening.
• Syphilis in pregnancy, when not treated, treated late, or treated with the incorrect antibiotic, results in 50−80% of cases with adverse birth outcomes.

Syphilis Treatment

• It is easy to cure with antibiotics, especially during the early stages.
• Penicillin is the most commonly used medication for syphilis.

Source: TH