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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection. It spreads through direct sexual contact. Close to 50,000 people are infected with syphilis each year in the United States.

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Syphilis is caused by the spiral- shaped bacterium known as "Treponema Pallidum." The only true way to prevent infection is to abstain from sexual contact.

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This is a shorter version summarizing the stages.

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Syphilis is usually diagnosed with blood tests. Once someone has been infected with syphilis, the bacteria, treponema pallidum, remains in their blood for years.

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Symptoms of syphilis can come and go for years, although, the immune system may eventually kill the bacteria itself. However, it is possible for the disease to progress to tertiary syphilis, which produces destruction lesions in the brain and damages internal organs, bones, and joints. This damage can be fatal. I chose to upload a drawing instead of a real photo. This progression may be difficult to view for some.

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The second stage of the Syphilis appears a few weeks later. A pink skin rash appears all over the body. Fever, joint pain, and hair loss are also common to experience during this time. Symptoms usually subside again for about three months. The disease has not been cured though- it has entered into the latent stage.

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The pathogen, Treponema Pallidum, stays in the body for up to six weeks and then produces a small painless lesion called a chancre. It usually heals within  six weeks. In males, it usually forms on the penis, but in females, the chancre may form inside the vagina unnoticed. 

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Antibiotics can treat syphilis, but they cannot repair the damage done by the bacteria. Syphilis is primarily treated with an injection of the penicillin.

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I thought to add in some common risk factors. These don't apply to just Syphilis as well. Remember, anyone who engages in sexual contact is at risk for infection of any STIs. The only true way to prevent infection is by abstaining from sexual contact!

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Infants can contract the disease from their infected mothers. The disease usually produces ulcers in the area where it entered the body. It can cause a variety of serious issues for infants, including severe anemia, disfigured bones, brain and nerve problems if not treated with antibiotics. The disease can also result in stillbirths, prematurity, and low birth weights. In Mississippi alone, there has been an alarming rise of infants being treated for syphilis.