Syphilis cases are skyrocketing across the U.S. Here’s what you need to know.
Cases of syphilis continue to climb in the U.S. New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday found that, while syphilis cases made up a fraction of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S., new diagnoses are dramatically increasing. More than 200,000 cases of syphilis were diagnosed in 2022, marking a 17% increase from the previous year. That represents an 80% increase since 2018, part of a "decades-long upward trend," according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Congenital syphilis — which is when the disease is passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy — has also gone up. The CDC reported in November that about 3,700 babies tested positive for syphilis in the U.S. in 2022 — more than 10 times the number diagnosed a decade earlier — and 300 of them were stillborn or died soon after birth.
Why are syphilis cases on the rise? “There has been a consistent decrease in funding for sexual health services and programs throughout last couple of decades,” Kristen Krause, deputy director for the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies at the Rutgers School of Public Health, tells Yahoo Life. As a result, fewer people are aware of the disease and are tested for it, including women.
Syphilis isn’t the most common STI in the U.S.; that distinction goes to chlamydia. But it’s hard to ignore how quickly cases are increasing across the country. Syphilis isn’t as well known as other STIs, but experts say it should be on your radar. Here are five facts that people need to know about this rapidly increasing disease.
It’s usually spread by direct contact with syphilis sores
Syphilis is usually spread from direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal or oral sex, according to the CDC, although it can also spread from an infected pregnant women to her unborn baby.
But despite myths around the disease, the CDC notes that you can’t get syphilis from having contact with these objects:
toilet seats
doorknobs
swimming pools
hot tubs
bathtubs
clothes or utensils
There are four stages of syphilis
Syphilis has four distinct stages, and each has its own symptoms. The CDC breaks it down this way:
Primary stage
During this stage, someone may notice a single sore or multiple sores, and it's typically on the spot where syphilis entered your body. The most common locations include the penis, vagina, anus, rectum, lips or in the mouth.
Secondary stage
This stage can cause skin rashes or sores in your mouth, vagina or anus. The rash can even be on the palms of your hands and bottoms of your feet. Along with a rash, you may have:
fever
swollen lymph glands
sore throat
patchy hair loss
headaches
weight loss
muscle aches
fatigue
Latent stage
During this phase of the disease, there are no visible signs or symptoms of syphilis.
Tertiary stage
It’s not common for people to develop tertiary syphilis, but this stage can be serious. It can affect the heart, blood vessels, brain and nervous system. It can even be deadly.
“Syphilis is most commonly diagnosed in the primary and secondary stages,” Dr. Thomas Russo, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Yahoo Life.
Syphilis isn’t always easy to spot
“The primary lesion of syphilis, when present, is a painless ulcer,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life. But because the sore is painless, some people may not notice it, Russo says.
It also may not be in an area that’s easy to see. “For women, recognition is problematic because it can be in the cervix or vaginal wall,” Russo says. “If you practice receptive anal intercourse, it can be in the anal canal or rectum.”
There is a cure
Syphilis is curable with a course of antibiotics. The CDC recommends an injection of long-acting penicillin G benzathine to treat the primary, secondary or early latent stages of syphilis. If someone is diagnosed at the late latent stage of syphilis, the CDC suggests getting three doses of long-acting penicillin G benzathine once a week.
While syphilis is treatable, treatment can’t reverse damage that syphilis has done, Russo says.
You can get syphilis more than once
Unfortunately, having syphilis once doesn’t protect you from getting infected in the future, per the CDC. It’s also important to be aware that you can get syphilis again from a partner if they have not been tested and received the right treatment.
