Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection. It can often have no symptoms. Once it is found it is easily treated with antibiotics. If not found and treated, syphilis can cause long-term health problems.

Over the last few years there has been a large rise in the amount of people being diagnosed with syphilis in Birmingham. This has been in all different ages, ethnicity and background - from students to unemployed to professionals and business people. It is important that anyone who has had unprotected sex has a blood test for syphilis as part of the full sexual health screen.

How is it passed on?

Syphilis can be passed on by:

Having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who is infected, or sharing sex toys.
Skin-to-skin contact with someone who has syphilis sores or rashes.
Mother to baby transmission if a mother remains untreated at birth.
Syphilis can also be transmitted by blood transfusions, but all UK blood donors are screened to prevent this.

Signs and symptoms

Syphilis has 3 separate stages, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (or latent). Each stage has different symptoms, or may have no symptoms at all. The symptoms are often quite vague and may be the symptoms of a lot of different things (not necessarily sexually transmitted) so if you are worried at all it is best to come and get tested.

Primary:

One or more painless sores on the vagina, penis, rectum or mouth. (As the sores are painless they may go unnoticed.)

The primary stage may last up to 2 months before the infection spreads to other parts of the body. Someone with Primary syphilis will be very infectious to others.

Secondary:

A painless rash over the body or sometimes on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

A flu-like illness with swollen glands

White patches on the tongue, mouth or genitals.

The second stage is very infectious and can last for many months.

Tertiary (including latent);
Someone with tertiary syphilis may often have no symptoms, but can still pass the infection on. If left without treatment for many years, Syphilis can cause serious damage to the heart, brain, eyes, and other parts of the body.

You can help protect yourself against Syphilis by using condoms every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex. If you are unsure of how to use condoms, please ask to see a health adviser who will be happy to talk to you about safely using condoms.

Syphilis in pregnancy

Syphilis infection in the mother can easily be passed onto the baby during pregnancy. This may cause miscarriage or serious health problems, death or deformity in the newborn baby. All pregnant women are tested for syphilis at 14-16 weeks by their midwives but if you think you have been at risk after these blood tests you should test again. This can be done at a GUM clinic, with your GP or you can even ask your midwife.

What happens if I have Syphilis?

If we find syphilis, it can be treated with antibiotics. You may need treatment over 1 or 3 weeks depending on the stage of infection. The Doctor or nurse will discuss with you how often you need to come back. Once you have been treated, you will need to be monitored with regular appointments for a while ( about one year) to make sure the infection leaves your body completely.