SYPHILIS

    Syphilis is one of sexually transmitted diseases(STD).  The bacterium that causes syphilis is Treponema pallidum, which ¡§was first isolated in 1905 by the German scientist Fritz Schaudinn¡¨(Nevid and Gotfried, 66).  Generally, syphilis is transmitted from person to person by direct sexual contact.  Besides, infants may be transmitted directly from the other before or during childbirth if the mother has contracted syphilis and has not got proper treatment ¡§prior to the fourth month of pregnancy¡¨(Laudau, 32).  Because the lack of treatment by a pregnant woman, ¡§miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital syphilis may result¡¨(Nevid and Gotfried, 68).  In addition, children may be born with birth defects as deformed bone structure, blindness (See Figure 1), deafness, mental retardation, mentions by Laudau (33).  This paper is going to present symptoms and treatment of syphilis.  Furthermore, suggestions to prevention syphilis from people in the modern society will also be included in this paper.
    Based on Nevid et al.there are several different stages of symptoms in syphilis life style (See Table1).  In the primary stage, the chancre (See Figure 2) may appear to both men and women have infected syphilis for two to four weeks.  After a few weeks, the chancre may disappear.  However, syphilis may be still in the body if the infection has not been treated.  The secondary stage may begin from a few weeks to a few months.  During this stage, infected people may be noticed ¡§by the appearance of a skin rash (See Figure 3) consisting of painless, reddish raised bumps that darken after a while and burst, oozing a discharge.  Other symptoms include sores in the mouth, painful swelling of joints, a sore throat, headaches, and fever . . .¡¨(Nevid and Gotfried, 68-69).  People usually may think that they get flu and ignore those symptoms.  Just like at the beginning of secondary stage, the symptoms soon disappear and enter the latent stage, which may last from one to forty years.  Most of the cases, the disease will move to the tertiary stage (See Figure 4).  According to Nevid and Gotfried, the ulcer may appear ¡§on the digestive organs, liver, lungs, skin, muscle tissue, or other organs¡¨(69).
     Proper treatment to syphilis is a necessity.  Several research studies show that untreated syphilis may cause problems in neurologic and cardiovascular systems and even worse to result in death (¡§Syphilis Rate Plummets by 84% in the 90¡¦s¡¨ 21; Nevid and Gotfried 65; Garnett et al. 186).  Penicillin is common used to treat syphilis.  However, to some individuals who are allergic or resistant to penicillin may be treat in antibiotic such as tetracycline, erythromycin, spectinomycin, or doxycycline.  The treatment to sexually transmitted diseases requires follow-up doctor appointment to make sure the infection is completely gone.
 Some people may be wondering how syphilis is transmitted?  Adults usually may be transmitted this disease by vaginal or anal intercourse, oral-genital contact or the use of unsanitized surings to those drug users.  Infants may be infected directly from mothers.  Louis stress that ¡§. . . more than 3000 infants annually during the peak of the recent U.S. syphilis epidemic of the late 1980s and early 1990s¡¨(353).  Besides, Bays et al. Mention, ¡§The risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases as a result of sexual abuse during childhood is unknown¡¨(134).  Parents should be alert of this research result and prevent their children from sexual abuse at the end of 20th century.
 Dr. Cook and Dr. Rosenberg indicate ¡§Sexually transmitted diseases remain a significant health burden . . . Current recommendations for prevention include abstinence, monogamy, and condoms¡¨(386).  If people who think sexual abstinence is too difficult to follow, they should take other suggested prevention: one sexual partner in one time, not changing sexual partners frequently and use condoms during sexual contact to keep people from STD.  Providing education to cocaine users is also an important task.  Those drug users should recognize drugs not only hurt their body health, but also changing needles may cause them to be suffering in STD in their life.  In addition, early detection and treatment are necessities to help people be cured from syphilis to achieve the goal of ¡§the elimination of syphilis from the United States . . .¡¨(228).

Table1: Life Style of Syphilis with/without Treatment

Source: Garnet, Geoff P. et al. ¡§The Natural History of
   Syphilis.¡¨ Sexually Transmitted Diseases April
   1997: 186.