Syphilis is on the rise – here’s everything you need to know

Syphilis is on the rise! Hooray! Another thing to worry about, as if total political turmoil, social media anxiety and impending climate change doom weren’t enough.

But we can’t just bury our heads in the sand – that’s what we did with climate change, and now there’s a rubbish island in the sea that’s the size of France, and rhinos are almost all gone; how fucked up is that?!

Anyway, we digress. The point is, information is key. So here’s some information about Syphilis. It’s a nasty STI that’s quite easy to catch and dangerous if left untreated. But it’s treatable, so with the right medical action there’s no need to panic. MORE FACTS BELOW:

• • Syphilis has been around since the 15^th century, possibly even earlier.

• • From the 16^th to the 19^th centuries, it was one of the biggest public health concerns; mainly because people didn’t want to talk about how it was transmitted and it spread widely as a result.

• • A lot of well-known figures in history are thought to have had it, including Friedrich Nietzche, Arthur Schopenhauer, Leo Tolstoy, Al Capone and Christopher Columbus.

• • After dropping in the 20^th century, diagnosis rates have started to increase again since the millennium.

• • This is thought to be because people are having more sex and using condoms less.

• • In the last five years, the number of people diagnosed with syphilis in the UK has more than doubled.

• • There haven’t been this many new diagnoses since before World War 2.

• • It’s mostly transmitted from person to person via sex, but can be spread by touch.

• • It can be spread by any contact with an infected sore.

• • It affects everyone, regardless of gender or sexuality. Anyone sexually active is at risk, but there are currently particularly high rates among gay and bisexual men.

• • Using condoms lowers the risk but you can still catch it.
    

• • Symptoms include small, painless sores around the penis, vagina or anus (and sometimes mouth).

• • You also might feel fatigue, headaches, joint pains, a temperature or swollen glands.

• • These symptoms will appear ten days to three months after you’ve become infected.

• • To make sure a test detects a syphilis infection, it’s best to have both a swab test and a blood test. Most sexual health clinics in London now do this as part of your general checkup.

• • Syphilis doesn’t usually go away on its own, so if you have it, you need to get it treated ASAP.

• • If untreated, it can seriously damage your heart, brain and nervous system.

• • Syphilis is easy to cure if detected early.

• • You’ll be given a short course of antibiotics or an injection; it should go away within two weeks.

• • Before you have sex again, it’s best to get tested at the clinic to make sure your treatment has worked.

• • Medical professionals recommend getting tested every three months.

• • Don’t let it worry you and don’t let it affect your sex life; just be aware of symptoms, think about your condom use and get tested regularly.

The people behind PrEP initiative PrEPster have started a project to make people more aware of syphilis, called Long Time No Syphilis. You can find out more, and help out, by heading to their crowdfunder page.

Check out their video here, starring activist/porn performer Leander:

Sources:
bbc.co.uk/news
nhs.uk
tht.org.uk
wikipedia.org

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