What should I do if I have syphilis?

It is crucial to recognize syphilis early on, as it becomes more and more dangerous as time passes, and deadly once it reaches the tertiary (post latent, third symptomatic) phase. It is also heavily linked with the facilitation of HIV transmission and acquisition. read more

Avoid any sexual activity while you are being treated for syphilis. Don't have sexual contact until the syphilis sores are completely healed. Tell your sex partner(s). Your sex partner(s) should get tested for syphilis and treated if needed. After you have completed treatment for syphilis, get retested after 6 months and 12 months. read more

The latent stage of syphilis is a period of time when there are no visible signs or symptoms of syphilis. If you do not receive treatment, you can continue to have syphilis in your body for years without any signs or symptoms. Tertiary Stage. Most people with untreated syphilis do not develop tertiary syphilis. read more

The final stage of syphilis is tertiary, or late-stage syphilis, and it happens after latent syphilis, when the symptoms come back — full force. This is where things get bad, medically speaking. Tertiary syphilis can cause damage to most of the body parts you deem important, including your brain, heart, bones, eyes, nerves, joints, and blood vessels. read more