Syphilis

What is it?
Syphilis is caused by a highly infectious bacterium that is centuries-old called Treponema pallidum.Who gets it?
Both men and women.

Am I at risk?
If you are having vaginal, oral, or anal sex you are at risk. Condoms only reduce the risk by about 30 to 50 percent. Syphilis is also easy to transmit through oral sex.

How will I know if I am infected?
Syphilis has been called “The Great Imitator” because so many of the symptoms and signs imitate other diseases. For men, in the first stage, swollen, non painful ulcers on external genitalia may appear. In the second stage, for men there may be changes of skin, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes. For women, in the first stage, there are often no symptoms. In the second stage, the symptoms are the same as the men’s.

What should I do if I am sexually active?
Get checked. Primary and secondary syphilis are generally diagnosed with a blood test. A single dose of an antibiotic can cure a person who has been infected less than one year. Left untreated in both men and women syphilis may lead to brain disorders, heart disease, blindness, dementia, and death.

What can I do to avoid being infected?
Be in control of your future. Wait for sex! If you have already had sex…get checked. Then get back into the driver’s seat and take control of your destiny.

Other Types of S.T.D.s