What is Syphilis?
Syphilis (pronounced: siff-ill-iss) is one of the most one of the more prevalent sexually transmitted disease (STD). Syphilis is caused by a kind of bacteria known as a spirochete also called Treponema pallidum. It has often referred as “the great imitator” since most of the signs and symptoms of syphilis are identical to those of other diseases. The bacterium has a shape of a corkscrew or spiral and can be seen under a microscope. The bacterium is very small and can subsist almost everywhere in the body.
Syphilis progresses in stages and can damage many parts of the body. If syphilis is left untreated, it can progress to an advanced state where it creates serious health problems. Syphilis infection alternates with periods of being active and inactive (latent). The symptoms of the disease occur when the infection is active. But when the infection is inactive, no symptoms are visible albeit you still have syphilis.
Spirochetes, the bacterium that causes syphilis can be spread from person to person by means of direct contact with syphilis sore(s). Such direct contact usually happens during sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral sex). A person is infected with syphilis by touching the blood or sores of a person who is infected with syphilis, particularly sores on the person’s mouth, penis, vagina or anus (the opening to the rectum).
A pregnant woman suffering from syphilis can also infected the newborn baby during the childbirth. Syphilis is not spread from a towel, doorknob, or toilet seat.
The rate of Syphilis infection is not constant and tends to go up and down. In the U.S., new cases of syphilis infection are now at their lowest rate in 40 year. In more than 70% of U.S. counties no new occurrence of the disease were reported in the year 1996. Even the syphilis cases which occurred were confined to a few regions which included Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, and several other cities and counties, particularly in the South. Each year, most of the cases likely go unreported to the health officials
 What is Syphilis?
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During the 1990s there was a fall in the rate of people with syphilis infection. Though more recently there has been an increase in number of cases of syphilis. Most of these cases were particularly in young adults and in men who have male sexual partners.
During the early stages it is easy to treat syphilis. But if it is left untreated, severe health problems may occur due to the disease. It may even cause death. So it’s necessary for everybody to understand about the disease as much as one can.
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