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According to the National Institutes of Health, Mississippi has seen a 1000% spike in congenital syphilis in newborns between the years of 2016 and 2022.

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Although Syphilis itself is not a death sentence, if left untreated the damage it causes to the body can be debilitating or even fatal. The CDC reports that 10% of all untreated syphilis patients eventually die due to the disease.

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The best practices to avoid STI's such as syphilis, are to practice safe sex with new partners, and to get routine STI screenings at a clinic.

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Other common symptoms of Syphilis include fever, joint pain, and even hair loss at times.

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Each year, close to 50,000 Americans get infected and diagnosed with Syphilis

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Upon noticing the symptoms, the infected individual should seek medical care as soon as possible. Treatment for Syphilis includes antibiotics such as Penicillin or Doxycycline 

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Long term effects of Syphilis can include lesions that damage brain tissue to form called "neurosyphilis" and also damage to vital organs of the body including the heart. This damage is often not reversable and can cause other medical conditions.

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In newborns, symptoms may be well hidden of syphilis, but they can be born with hearing and vision loss from complications due to the infection.

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Syphilis causes a sore called a "chancre" to appear on the penis in males and in the vagina for females. About 6 weeks later the sore will go away. As time goes by, a red, dermatitis-like skin rash will appear on the body. This rash will also go away on its own and the disease will enter the latent stage. The disease itself is curable but may cause damage to the brain and vital organs of the body that is not reversable. 

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The name of the bacterium that causes Syphilis is called "Treponema pallidum"