WHAT IS SYPHILIS?

Syphilis is a type of sexually transmitted disease. It’s the result of a bacterial infection of the genital tract by the bacterium called Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is passed from one person to another during direct sexual contact with a syphilis lesion that involves vaginal, oral, or anal sex. It can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy and can result in stillbirth or serious birth defects.(disabilities in the child)
Syphilis can be contracted and passed on by anyone who engages in sexual activities. It doesn’t matter the type of sex, whether heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual from both male and female partners. The more sexual partners a person has, the greater the risk of catching syphilis and it also increases the risk of HIV infection, which causes AIDS.
Syphilis that is caught early in the first stage of the infection can be quickly and easily treated. If not promptly recognized and treated, it will progress through three stages. Each stage of syphilis has distinct symptoms. The first stage is characterized by the development of a lesion called a chancre. The chancre usually develops in the genital area, but it can develop on the lips, tongue or rectum if these areas have been exposed to a syphilis chancre on another person during oral or anal sexual contact. If left untreated, syphilis infection can last for years and can lead to serious complications in the third and final stage of the disease. Complications include dementia(Dementia is characterized significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational), paralysis(The loss of motor function due to dysfunction of the spinal cord.), blindness, andaortic aneurysm.