Bacterial STDs: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis (continued)
Syphilis
Syphilis is contracted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who is infected.
Symptoms begin to appear 10-90 days after the initial infection. In the first stage of this disease a single sore called a chancre (sometimes it can be multiple sores) is found on the body where the bacteria has entered. The sores last 3-6 weeks, and even when the sores go away, the individual is still infected if not treated with antibiotics.
The symptoms of the second stage, which show up from while the chancre is healing or several weeks after, include:
- A rash anywhere on the body
- Flu-like feelings
Even when the flu-like feelings and the rash disappear, the individual is still infected with syphilis. Without treatment, syphilis is passed during any sexual contact. A mother with syphilis can give it to her baby during pregnancy or have a miscarriage.
Heart disease, brain damage, blindness, dementia, and death are further complications when the symptoms of syphilis move beyond the second stage.
