In the 1500’s, Fracastoro of Verona wrote a poem entitled Syphilis sive morbus gallicus.  In it, Apollo curses the shepherd Syphilis; little did Fracastoro know that his poem would give title to one of the most common and widely spread sexually transmitted diseases rampaging through the last 6 centuries. The World Health Organization (WHO) approximates that there are 12 million cases of syphilis, most occur in the developing countries where community health is poor. 

Syphilis is an infectious disease that is transferred through intercourse, intimate contact or from mother to fetus. It is transferred through moist mucosal or cutaneous lesions. Studies show that about 30% of individuals get syphilis from their infected partners.  There was a study performed in 1994, which documented 20,627 cases of first and second stage syphilis sufferers in the USA. It breaks down to about 8 cases per 100,000 people. The study showed that syphilis is 60 times more prevalent in non-Hispanic blacks than in Caucasians. 

Syphilis is a three-stage disease. The first or primary stage begins 10 to 90 days from exposure and flares up as small skin ulcers or chancre sores on the infected area. If untreated the symptoms disappear in a few weeks. The disease then moves into the secondary stage. After a few weeks or even months, the secondary symptoms begin to appear. These symptoms are often fever, lethargy, sore throat, headache, and rash. Approximately 10% of secondary syphilis sufferers have a mild hepatitis. The rash can be on the hands, soles of the feet, anus, or other places. 

The third or tertiary stage is the most painful and detrimental stage of the disease. It can be many years after the second stage syphilis before the tertiary period begins. Brain damage and spinal cord injury are fairly common. It causes mental illness and perhaps paralysis. It can cause heart damage and causes skin damage in the form of gummas, which are patches of skin that feel like rubber. Depending on the damage it can be fatal rather quickly or you can linger slowly, (20 – 30 years) becoming worse and worse. 

Syphilis can be prevented by abstinence, monogamy, or by using condoms regularly. If you think you may have syphilis, quick treatment and partner notification are very important. Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics in the early stages.