Some facts concerning syphilis may surprise you

At the Health Department, we monitor several health conditions. People rarely want to think about some health conditions like sexually transmitted infections, but it is important that there is a level of awareness so that disaster can be avoided.

Unfortunately, Whitley County has more than its fair share of sexually transmitted infections. Today I want to talk about one that is of particular concern to adults and pregnant mothers – syphilis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a tenfold increase in syphilis in newborns in the U.S. over the last 10 years. Kentucky’s increase has followed that pattern. Whitley County has the seventh highest rate of syphilis in Kentucky, increasing 42 percent between 2020 and 2021.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria. A person gets syphilis through direct contact during sexual intercourse of any kind, or from a mother to an unborn baby.

Before the discovery of penicillin, a lot of famous people reportedly had syphilis and some even died from it, including Casanova, Van Gogh, Beethoven, Ivan the Terrible, Henry VIII, and Al Capone. Now syphilis is curable with antibiotics, but you don’t develop immunity. You can get syphilis again. In fact, at the health department, we are seeing an increase in the number of people who have had it more than once.

Syphilis is an important concern for pregnancy because syphilis can be devastating for babies. When babies get syphilis from their mothers, it is called congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis can cause blindness, deafness, seizures and death. Nearly all the newborn cases of congenital syphilis in 2022 could have been prevented with timely testing and treatment. Almost half of moms with syphilis who passed it to their newborns did not have prenatal care.

In adults, there are four stages of syphilis. During primary stage you get a sore or sores. Sores are usually painless, so sometimes you might not notice them. They last three to six weeks and then go away. Even though the sore is gone, you still have syphilis if you do not get treated.

During secondary stage, you might get a rash or more sores. The rash rarely itches. You might not even notice it. You might have other symptoms like a fever, swollen glands, or symptoms that feel like a cold or flu. These symptoms will also go away. You still have syphilis if you do not get treated.

Without treatment, syphilis will become latent. This means it hangs out in your body without you noticing. Sometimes syphilis is latent for years. You still have syphilis if you do not get treated.

Not everyone with syphilis will develop the last stage–tertiary. However, if you do, it is bad. It could happen anywhere between 10 and 30 years later, but all along syphilis is damaging your brain, your eyes, and your hearing. Syphilis can kill you.

Syphilis is treatable. Usually, a shot of penicillin will cure you. Right now, there is a shortage of the kind of penicillin used, so unless you are pregnant, you will probably get doxycycline pills. How many pills depends on what stage your disease is at.

You can prevent syphilis too. It passes through sexual contact. It does not spread like the flu. You cannot get it from toilet seats or clothing or forks. Use a condom the right way every time you have sexual contact with someone to reduce your chances of getting syphilis. A condom can prevent contact with a sore in that area. Sores can happen in places not covered by a condom and you can still get syphilis, so it is important to talk honestly with your partner. Get tested and get treated.

Anyone who is sexually active can get a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis. However, some people are at a higher risk. Get tested regularly if you are sexually active and you are gay or bisexual, have HIV, take PrEP, or have a partner that has tested positive for syphilis. All pregnant people should get tested during their first prenatal visit. Sometimes you need to get tested again at 28 weeks and at delivery.

Health care providers test for syphilis by taking a blood sample and sending it to a lab. Because the results are not immediate, it is important for you to follow up on your test results. Make sure wherever you are tested has a good phone number to reach you. If you don’t hear from them in two weeks, reach out and ask for your results. You can get tested and treated at the Health Department even if you do not have insurance.

Don’t be like Al Capone. He never got treated for his syphilis and it killed him. Getting tested and completing treatment early is the key to preventing bad outcomes later. For more information about syphilis, visit https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/default.htm.