What Is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can have a serious effect on a person’s health if left untreated. In 1999, there were so few cases of syphilis in the United States that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a plan to eliminate syphilis entirely within the U.S. Unfortunately, by 2001, cases were up, and they’ve climbed every year since then. In 2019, the last year for which data is available, 129,813 cases of syphilis were reported to the CDC. Most of those cases were among men who have sex with other men. Syphilis is an issue of public health concern in the United States. So what exactly is syphilis and why is it on the rise?

Most young people have heard about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and know that STDs come from having sex with an infected person without using proper protection, such as a latex condom.

Traditionally, condoms have been made from latex. But you may have seen newer polyurethane condoms too. Some people claim that polyurethane condoms are more sensitive than latex ones because they are thinner in texture. But studies show that polyurethane condoms are not as effective in protecting against pregnancy and STDs. Polyurethane condoms are more likely to slip off the penis during withdrawal and also to break. The bottom line is, unless you are among the small number of people allergic to latex, latex condoms are a far safer option.

Despite this knowledge, it is estimated that one in four sexually active adolescent girls (ages 15–24) has an STD. And in the United States, half of all new STD infections that are reported each year occur in adolescents.

One of these STDs is syphilis. Over the centuries, the horrible consequences of untreated syphilis in its later stages made it a feared disease. Society often viewed those who had it as sinful or shameful. Today, syphilis is still a cause for concern. However, while many young people have heard of this infection, few know much about it.

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A major reason for this lack of information is that until recently, syphilis infections had become quite rare in North America. In fact, in the late 1990s, medical experts and health officials in Canada and the United States foresaw a twenty-first century in which syphilis would be eliminated altogether. Since the early 2000s, however, both countries have seen a new rise in cases of syphilis. Most of those infected have been young people, who lack knowledge about the disease and how it is transmitted. This is unfortunate, because awareness is key when dealing with a disease whose signs are often very hard to detect. The truth is that many people acquire syphilis without even knowing it. On the positive side, tests for syphilis are quick and efficient. If detected early, the disease is easy to treat and leaves no lasting effects.

The Syphilis Infection

Syphilis is a serious but curable infection caused by bacteria called Treponema pallidum. Bacteria are simple microscopic organisms that are the oldest form of life on Earth. They are highly adaptable and can live anywhere—at the bottom of the ocean, in frigid Arctic ice, and in steamy hot springs, as well as in any kind of plant or animal species. The wormlike bacterium that causes syphilis, for example, likes to burrow into the moist mucous membranes of human beings’ mouths or genital areas.

How Syphilis Is Spread

You can get syphilis by coming into contact with a person who already has the disease. Most of the time, this occurs as a result of sexual activity, which is why syphilis is considered an STD. Syphilis can be transmitted either through oral, genital, or anal sex. Even partners who don’t engage in actual sexual penetration—of a penis into a vagina, for example—can still get syphilis.

Syphilis is spread when one person’s infected area, usually an open sore, touches the soft skin of the mucous membrane found inside or around another person’s genital or anal areas, or in or around the mouth. A mucous membrane is a special protective layer of skin that safeguards the body’s internal passages and certain cavities from the outside environment. It lines the skin of nostrils, lips, ears, genitals, and the anus, and helps the body to absorb and secrete fluids. When stimulated, these membranes give off a sticky, thick fluid called mucus (such as what comes out of our noses when we sneeze) that moistens and protects.

Although less common, syphilis can also be spread through needle sharing (which occurs among drug users) and by an infected person coming into contact with any type of open sore or cut on another person. A pregnant woman with syphilis can also infect the unborn baby she is carrying. Syphilis acquired in this manner is known as congenital syphilis.

Treponemes

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There are actually several forms of syphilis. The most serious is the sexually transmitted variety discussed in this article, caused by Treponema pallidum. This spiral-shaped bacterium is one of a related group of bacteria known as the treponemes. Other treponemes cause milder infections that aren’t sexually transmittable. These are usually skin infections that often affect young children. Scientists believe that sexually transmittable syphilis probably evolved from one of these other forms, though precisely when this might have occurred remains a mystery.

Recent Outbreaks

Until recently, outbreaks of syphilis were fairly rare, especially in North America. However, in the last two decades, health officials have been concerned by statistics showing an increase in the number of syphilis cases.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there were 9,126 cases of syphilis reported in Canada in 2020. This represents an overall increase of 124 percent since 2016. Meanwhile, according to the CDC, 129,813 cases of syphilis were reported in 2019 (the most recent year for which there is data). Compare that to 2012, when there were 15,667 reported cases of syphilis in the United States. The highest rate of people infected were from the most sexually active group (between twenty and twenty-nine years old). In both countries, men tend to get syphilis at higher rates than women. Men who have sex with men and men who have sex with both men and women make up almost half (47 percent) of cases in the United States.

These findings are troubling. They reveal that, despite greater access to and knowledge about safer sex methods such as condoms, an increasing number of people are having unprotected sex.