How do I get syphilis?

Syphilis is spread sexually through oral, anal and vaginal sex, and direct skin-to-skin contact.

 

How do I find out if I have syphilis?

Syphilis is detected through a blood test. If you are a San Francisco resident, you may go online at www.stdtest.org to download a lab slip. Take it to the location nearest you to receive a confidential blood test.

 

How is syphilis treated?

You can be cured of syphilis with a shot of penicillin.  It is a large shot, so many people people divide it in two. If you are allergic to penicillin, there are alternative medications.

 

How often should I get tested?

1. •If you are HIV positive, you should ask for a syphilis test every time you get a CD4 T-cell count and viral load.
   

2. •If you are HIV negative, it depends on your level of sexual activity. Most clinicians recommend being tested every 3-6 months.
   

 

How do I avoid syphilis?

1. •Inform your current and past sex partner(s) so they can be examined and treated.  If they have not been treated and you have sex with them, you can get the infection again.
   

2. •Condoms can help reduce but not eliminate the risk.  
   

3. •Get regular checkups every 3 – 6 months.
   

 

What are the stages of syphilis?

Primary Stage: Symptoms usually show up 10-90 days after a person is exposed to syphilis. Possible early symptoms include a painless sore called a chancre (shank-er) and swollen glands near the sore. These sores go away without treatment, leaving you symptom-free but still infected with the disease. The chancre also makes transmission of HIV much easier.

 

Secondary Stage: Within 4-12 weeks after infection, you will usually notice a non-itchy rash on the body and the hands and soles of the feet. Other symptoms may include patchy hair loss, fever and grey or white spots in moist areas of the body. Again, these symptoms may go away if left untreated, but infection is still present.

 

Latent Stage: There are usually no symptoms in the latent stage of the disease. The infection can only be detected through a blood test. If you go untreated during this stage, you can still be cured of infection. However, some people with latent syphilis do progress to the late stage of the disease.

 

Tertiary (Late) Stage: If your syphilis infection has not been treated, it can cause brain damage, heart disease and other long-term health problems.