What Everyone Ought to Know About Syphilis

Around 55,000 people contract syphilis every year, a sexual infection which affects the wellness and wellbeing of people through unprotected sex. According to the Centers for Disease Control, most people (around 79 per cent) who suffer from the disease are men who have had sex with other men, although anyone – male or female – can contract syphilis if they have unprotected sex.

 

What most people don’t realise is that syphilis can be transmitted through all the different types of intercourse, such as vaginal, oral and anal.

 

In the first stage of infection, people who have contracted syphilis may have sores on the area that has come into contact with the infection.

 

This bacterial STI is usually characterised by the presence of a sore on the part of their body which came into contact with the infection. This means that you can get a syphilis sore on your genital area, rectal area or in and around your mouth. When this sore appears, it usually indicates that the syphilis infection is in the first stage, and that the contact with the disease has occurred a few weeks ago.

 

Many people who have the sore still do not realise that they have contracted syphilis. This is because it is often hidden away in an area of the genital or the rectum, and it is also usually painless. During this time frame, this is when syphilis is the most contagious, and this is why it is so easily spread as the affected person will often have sexual contact with another without realising that they are infectious.

 

When syphilis is in the second stage, it usually causes more alarm as it shows up as a rash which spreads over the entire body. This rash may or may not be itchy, and it can include the development of sores in the mouth or on the genitals that appear to be a bit like warts.

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The American Epidemic: 20 Million STI Cases

It is considered the oldest form of modern protection in the book, but for the sexually active individual, a condom may be the best method of preventing a sexually transmitted disease.

Practice safe sex: This is the message broadcast by researchers that estimated that almost 20 million Americans are suffering from a sexually transmitted disease. Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 make up 20 percent of overall cases, both new and old.

Out of all of these strains, 72 percent of people were affected by the human papillomavirus (HPV) – also known as genital warts. Alongside this disease, the remaining that also sat commonly with other cases were infections such as hepatitis B, HIV, trichomoniasis (genital inflammation), chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and herpes.

The lead researcher of these new findings, Catherine Lindsey Satterwhite, told NBC News that the United States has an, “ongoing, severe, STI epidemic.”

What was problematic about the discovery was that the number of STIs were higher in the year 2008 than they were in 2000. In 2008, there were 19.7 million new cases as opposed to the 18.8 million new cases in 2000. Researchers are wary however, as the data from the year 2000 was not necessarily from the same source as the data in 2008.

For those in the UK, the strain is not necessarily something to be ignored, as people across the country – young and old – are annually affected by STDs across the country.

Whilst some contraceptives will prevent pregnancy, the best way to lower the risk of sexually transmitted disease is to slip on a condom during sex. You may not believe that you are at any risk, but bearing in mind that STDs do not necessarily have to be transferred by sexual contact; it never hurts to be cautious whilst maintaining a good, healthy and happy relationship.

The American Epidemic: 20 Million STI Cases

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