A GHN and HSE initiative
Syphilis (a bacteria) is a serious sexually transmitted infection (STI). Syphilis can be easily cured if diagnosed early through a simple blood test. In Ireland and other countries syphilis is quite common among men who have sex with men. You can pass on or get syphilis if you are sexually active, no matter what age, race, class or creed and whether you use pubs, clubs, saunas, cruising areas, personal adverts or the internet to meet other men for sex.
You can get Syphilis through unprotected oral sex (sucking or rimming), unprotected Anal or Vaginal Sex, and from using fingers or hands.
It can also be passed on through direct contact with a sore or rash and not necessarily the exchange of body fluids. This means what is regarded as safer sex for HIV may not protect you against syphilis. Using condoms can reduce the risk.
(You cannot get syphilis from casual contact, utensils, clothing, toilet seats, swimming pools and saunas.)
Syphilis is easy to catch or pass on even from one sexual contact. However, the more sexual partners you have the more chances of catching it. So you can reduce the risks by:
It’s important to remember that the Syphilis sore and rash can be in areas which are not covered by condoms so there is no complete protection.
Look out for unusual sores or discharge from your own and partner’s penis, anus or mouth. If you are not sure, stop having sex and get it checked out at an STI/GUM clinic as soon as you can.
Up 50% of people infected with syphilis show no symptoms, but can still pass it on to others during sex.
Stage 1 (primary Syphilis) is the appearance of an ulcer-type (painless) sore (chancre pronounced shancar), which can appear any time between 10 to 90 days after infection. It usually heals by itself (disappears) in approximately one month. The sore can be around your groin area, on your penis, inside around your anus (or vagina), or inside or around your mouth.
Stage 2 (secondary Syphilis) has many signs and symptoms, such as, fever, headaches, hair loss and muscle aches, but usually a rash anywhere on your body, most often on your hands and the soles of your feet. Again this tends to clear up by itself.
Stage 3 (latent and tertiary syphilis) happen after stage 2 syphilis becomes dormant (hidden). There may be no signs for many years, but left untreated it can still severely damage your health. If you have syphilis for more than two years you can no longer pass this on. You can however become ill later with heart, lung or brain problems, possibly leading to death. It’s worth noting that after two years if you are sexually active you can become re-infected with syphilis again and this can be passed on.
If you are HIV positive, syphilis may present differently than for those who are HIV negative, and may require a longer course of treatment.
A syphilis test is a simple Blood Test. Syphilis is easy to diagnose by having a blood test for the antibodies. In some cases (at an STI/GUM Clinic) it can be diagnosed by examining fluid from sores under the microscope.
If your result is negative following a test, you may need to re-test in three months. It can take between 2 to 90 days (the window period) for syphilis antibodies to show up in the blood. The clinic will be able to advise you in this instance.
If you are a sexually active man with different sex partners it is recommended to test at least once or twice each year.
Free STI tests are available from a number of clinics. Click here for a list of testing services.
If you result is positive, Syphilis is treatable with specific antibiotics. To ensure the infection has cleared up, follow-up visits to the clinic may be necessary.
It's important to remember that even when treated successfully you can catch syphilis again, from having sex with an infected person.
Having syphilis can make it easier to get HIV. If you have HIV and get syphilis it may present differently than for those who don’t have HIV. Importantly if you have HIV and contract syphilis you may pass on HIV more easily to a sex partner. It’s important whether you are HIV positive or not to practice safer sex.
