Syphilis Elimination Effort (SEE)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Syphilis? Is it curable?
What are the symptoms of syphilis? What does it look like?
I think I have a symptom of Syphilis. What should I do?
How do people get syphilis? Will condoms protect me from getting syphilis?
What is a Syphilis test?
Should I get a test? How often should I test?
How is Syphilis treated? Where can I get treatment?
Is there a link between Syphilis and HIV? What about other STDs?
I have/had Syphilis. Should my partners be tested or treated?
What is Syphilis? Is it curable?
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum. Syphilis can cause serious damage to your heart or brain if not treated promptly.
Yes, Syphilis can be cured. It is caused by a bacteria, antibiotics (e.g. penicillin) rid the body of the infection.
What are the symptoms of syphilis? What does it look like?
There are three stages of syphilis, each with its own symptoms. The first stage starts 3-12 weeks after you are infected. The first symptom is an open sore called a chancre (pronounced SHANK-er). The chancre is typically brownish-red and painless and usually appears on your genitals, in your mouth or inside your rectum or vagina. Although this sore goes away on its own after 1-5 weeks, a person who had a chancre still has syphilis.
The second stage begins about 2-7 months after getting syphilis. Symptoms during this stage can include rashes (on the body, hands, or feet), mucous patches, patchy hair loss (alopecia), and clusters of hard, white warts which appear on the genitals. Like the chancre, these symptoms go away; however, the person still has syphilis.
The third stage of syphilis, which can begin years after the time of the initial infection, may involve the loss of eyesight and hearing as well as heart disease and brain damage. Also, people who are HIV-positive sometimes progress to the third stage more quickly than those who do not have HIV.
Sometimes people do not notice or recognize these symptoms. Think about it, if you had a syphilis chancre in your throat, that didn't hurt, how would you know? Some folks ignore the symptoms, thinking they are "nothing really" or that they are something else, like an allergic reaction. Or maybe, perhaps, that sore on their penis is from an unfortunate "zipper accident." (Think about it guys, wouldn't you know FOR SURE if your penis had recently been in a fight with your zipper?) Finally, because visible symptoms eventually go away, it's easy to think "whatever it was, it's not a problem now…." These common misconceptions, and the fact that syphilis can become very serious (deadly) in its later stages, make it very important for sexually active people to get tested for syphilis on a routine basis.
I think I have a symptom of Syphilis. What should I do?
If you believe you have symptoms of Syphilis, STOP having sex and get tested as soon as possible. Please note: if you infect someone else with syphilis and you have sex with them again after you have been treated, your chances of getting re-infected with Syphilis dramatically increase if they have not been properly treated as well.
How do people get syphilis? Will condoms protect me from getting syphilis?
You get syphilis from skin-to-skin contact with an open sore called a "chancre." Syphilis, unlike HIV, is NOT passed by exposure to bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. Condoms only work where you use them and when they are used properly.
If you are sexually active, follow these rules to help protect yourself from Syphilis:
- Use condoms correctly and consistently
- Check your sex partners for signs of Syphilis, such as sores and rashes!
- Ask your partner if they have/had Syphilis!
- Make testing for Syphilis part of your routine health check up
What is a Syphilis test?
A Syphilis test requires a simple blood draw, like a traditional HIV test. If the result is positive, the test gives a ratio that relates to the amount of antibodies in your blood.
If you are symptomatic when you go to your doctor, it is very important to be treated immediately because you are most infectious while symptomatic. If you test positive but are not showing any symptoms, it is still very important to get treated.
Should I get a test? How often should I test?
If you have symptoms of Syphilis, you are encouraged to be tested and treated as soon as possible.
If you are sexually active, make Syphilis testing part of your routine health visit.
If you have had Syphilis in the past you should get tested regularly to make sure your titer has not increased.
How is Syphilis treated? Where can I get treatment?
Syphilis is normally treated with one dose of benzathine penicillin. If you are allergic to penicillin, the treatment is an oral antibiotic called Doxycycline. You can get treated at your medical provider.
I have/had Syphilis. Should my partners be tested or treated?
If you recently had Syphilis or have Syphilis right now, all or your sex partners (i.e. anyone with whom you had oral, anal or vaginal sex, with or without condoms) from the last three months should be tested for Syphilis and treated, even if their test comes back negative. This is because the incubation period for Syphilis is three months and during this timeframe the test may still come back negative. If you had sex with someone and it was more than 3 months but less than a year they should still get a test and if the test comes back positive they should be treated.
Is there a link between Syphilis and HIV? What about other STDs?
Yes, it has been shown that people are more likely to become infected with HIV when other STDs are present. This is because some STDs, like Syphilis, cause lesions or sores that can serve as a way for HIV to enter a person's body. Other common STDs, like gonorrhea or Chlamydia, can irritate sensitive membranes in the penis, vagina, or anus. This irritation can make it easier for a person to become infected with HIV if they have unprotected sex with a person who is HIV positive. Also, if a person is HIV positive, or if the immune system is weakened for any reason, Syphilis (and other STDs) may progress faster and do more damage to the body.
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