Habits that increase risk of contracting syphilis

By Dr Kizito Lubano

What is syphilis?

There are varying and misleading notions of how people can contract or transmit syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

What you need to know is that the infection can sometimes be active or inactive.

When you have an active there are symptoms but not when it is not active the symptoms are not there.

It’s important to know that even when there are no symptoms you can still pass on syphilis to others.

Also, you don’t have to engage in sexual intercourse to get syphilis. Being in close contact with an infected person’s genitals, mouth or rectum is enough to expose you to the disease.

Causes

Syphilis is caused by bacteria that usually enter the body through the tissues that line the throat, nose, rectum and vagina.

A person with syphilis who has a sore or a rash can pass the disease to others. An infected pregnant woman can also pass syphilis to her baby.

Risk factors

• Having unprotected sex — not using condoms or using them incorrectly.

• The risk is high among men who have unsafe sex with other men.

• Having more than one sex partner and living in an area where syphilis is common.

• Having sex with a syphilis-infected partner

• Commercial sex work

Symptoms

You may not notice symptoms of syphilis. Sometimes they are similar to other diseases. Hence, a person with the disease may put off seeing a doctor. It is also difficult for a doctor to diagnose syphilis.

The four stages of syphilis.

Primary stage: One of the first signs is a painless open sore called a chancre. Because syphilis is usually spread through sexual contact, chancres are often found in the mouth, anus, or genital area.

Secondary stage: A skin rash and other symptoms may show up four to ten weeks after a person is infected. At this stage, the person is highly infectious.

Latent stage: After the rash clears, a person may have a period with no symptoms, which may range as short as an year or go on to between five to 20 years.

Late (tertiary) stage: If syphilis is not found and treated in the early, it can lead to other serious health problems like blindness, problems with the nervous system, heart complications and mental disorders. It can also cause death.

Diagnosis

Your sexual history and physical examination followed by laboratory test will help confirm syphilis. You may also be tested for HIV.

Treatment

Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics. Both you and any sex partners that you may have exposed to the disease will need to be treated.

Prevention

To prevent babies from getting this disease, experts recommend that pregnant women have a syphilis blood test.

To protect yourself, limit the number of sex partners you have and avoid risky behaviour.

Ensure to always use condoms correctly.