Did You Think You Were Safe And Secured Against Syphilis?

You might think that syphilis was an illness of the past, and a few years ago you wouldn’t have been far wrong. In 1997, syphilis was set to never harm anyone’s wellbeing ever again, but over the past few years, the disease has slowly crept back into sexual wellness, and now the rates are believed to be twice as high as they were in 1997. 72% of this increase has occurred in men who have sex with men (MSM), and you are more likely to be affected if you are younger than 29 or older than 50.

So what’s so dangerous about this infection? The rising rates of syphilis are a concern because the infection makes you 3 to 5 times more likely to get HIV. If you do become HIV-positive, the syphilis will then progress quicker and become more difficult to treat, and there’ll be a higher chance of you spreading both illnesses to someone else. This is why you need to know as much as you can about syphilis, be aware of symptoms and get tested and treated.

Syphilis can cause a painless sore on your genitals, or in your mouth, vagina or rectum, which is very hard to notice. You can also develop a rash anywhere on your body, but it often occurs on the palms of hands or soles of feet and you may feel like you have the flu.

In the first one to two years of untreated infection, syphilis passes from one person to another through oral, vaginal and anal sex, or when another person touches your sore or rash. It no longer spreads to others after two years, and both of these symptoms disappear on their own even if you do not get treatment, but syphilis still continues to damage your body after this point. Untreated syphilis eventual damages your heart, brain and other organs of the body and may even kill you.

This is why you need to have your blood drawn and tested before syphilis is allowed to get to this point. Syphilis can be easily cured with one to three injections of penicillin, but why even let it develop in the first place? Protect yourself and others by using condoms for all sexual activities, reducing your number of sexual partners, and avoiding sharing needles, as well as getting your blood tested. If you do test positive for syphilis, remember to let your partners know as you will both need to get treatment.