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| Treponema pallidum Image/CDC |
Anonymoussexual hookups arranged over the internet is the likely reason for an“incredible rise” in syphilis young gay and bi men in Christchurch, according to Dr Edward Coughlan of Christchurch.
As reportedon the website, gaynz.comFriday, Coughlan notes the incidence of Syphilis, primarilyamongst men who have sex with men in their early 20s, has surged in the pasteight months with over 50 men in the city now diagnosed with syphilis.
The reportcontinues to say, half of the young men identified in Christchurch whocontracted the disease still had no symptoms and were only identifiedthrough contact tracing starting with men who already had symptoms.
Coughlan saysreaching vulnerable sexually active men with alerts to ensure they practisesafer sexual techniques and also get tested every three to six months isdifficult as internet-based contact sites such as dating sites and locator appssuch as Grinder tend to isolate such men from glbti-focussed community healthinitiatives. He says the Canterbury District Health Boardand the NZ AIDSFoundation are currently looking at initiatives to reach these men and head offa further blowout of syphilis.
Syphilis is asexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium, Treponemapallidum. The most common way to get syphilis is by having sexual contact(oral, genital or anal) with an infected person. The secondary lesions are alsoinfective and contact with them could transmit the bacteria. It can also betransmitted from an infected mother to her baby (congenital transmission). Itcan also be transmitted through blood transfusion, though extremely rarebecause of testing of donors.
Because ofthe fragility of the organism, you cannot get syphilis from eating utensils, pools or toilets.
Syphilis goesthrough four stages that can overlap:
PrimarySyphilis
The firstsymptom of primary syphilis is frequently a small, round, firm ulcer called achancre (pronounced “shanker”) at the place the bacteria enters the body(usually the penis, vulva or vagina, but it may appear on the cervix, tongue orlips). There is usually just one chancre, however there can be many. Swollen lymphnodes in these areas are common.
The chancreusually appears in about 3 weeks after infection, but can occur anytimefrom 9-90 days after infection.
Becausechancres are painless and can occur inside the body, you may not notice it. Itdisappears after 3-6 weeks whether you are treated or not. If primary syphilisgoes untreated, it then moves into the secondary stage.
SecondarySyphilis
The mostcommon symptom of this stage is a non-itchy rash. The rash is usually on thepalms of the hands (see below) and soles of the feet, it can cover the wholebody or only a select few areas. This occurs 2-10 weeks after the chancreheals. Other common symptoms are sore throat, fatigue, headache,swollen glands and less frequently hair loss and lesions in themouth.
LatentSyphilis
This is thehidden stage of syphilis. At this stage there are no symptoms. This stagecan last for weeks or decades.
Early latent syphilis is still an infectious stage and you can transmit thedisease to your partner. In late latent syphilis, the risk of infecting apartner is low or absent.
Signs andsymptoms may never return or if untreated it goes into the most seriousstage, tertiary syphilis.
TertiarySyphilis
Even withouttreatment only a minority of infected people develop these horriblecomplications. In this stage, the bacteria will damage the heart, eyes, brain,bones, joints and central nervous system. This can happen decades after theinitial infection. This can result in blindness, deafness, memory loss, heartdisease and death. Neurosyphilis is one of the most severe signs of thisstage.
Congenital syphiliscan results in miscarriages, premature births and stillbirths. Some infantswith congenital syphilis have symptoms at birth, but most develop symptoms later.Sore on infected babies are infectious so holding and kissing infected babiescould transmit the disease.
It is veryeasy to detect early stages of syphilis through blood tests that detectantibodies. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other major medicalorganizations recommend that all pregnant women be screened for syphilis. Thebacteria can be visualized through special microscopic techniques from theprimary chancre or other sores .
If it issuspected to be neurosyphilis, testing can be done on spinal fluid.
It is easy totreat syphilis in the early stages with one injection of Penicillin. Laterstages or neurosyphilis may take daily doses given by IV in a hospital. It isimportant to note in late syphilis, any damage done to organs cannot bereversed.
Having asyphilis chancre can increase the transmission of HIV up to 5-fold.
To reduceyour risk of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases, practicesafe sex:
• Avoid sex,or have mutually monogamous sex with one partner who is uninfected.
• Talk with your sex partners about your HIV status and history ofother sexually transmitted infections.
• If you don’t know the STI status of your partner, use a latex condom witheach sexual contact.
• Avoid excessive use of alcohol or other drugs, which can cloud your judgmentand lead to unsafe sexual practices.
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