Syphilis essays

Syphilis essays Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are communicable diseases that are spread from person to person. Of the 22-25 recognized STDs, syphilis is the most dangerous. Syphilis has many symptoms that can be prevented and treated even after they go away. Symptoms appear 10 to 90 days after having sexual intercourse with an infected person. The symptoms are categorized into four stages, the primary stage, the secondary stage, the latent stage, and the neurosyphilis stage. The primary stage is characterized by small red painless sore called a chancre. The chance will disappear within one to five weeks, but the disease will continue to develop in the body. Next, the secondary stage is after the bacteria has been in the body it starts to produces symptoms like joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, headaches, and fever. The most highly common symptom is a contagious rash. The rash may appear anywhere on the body. The rash usually develops into sores that ooze with clear fluid. Then, the latent stage will begin after two or more years. During this stage the infected person may think they are cured, but they still have syphilis. The last stage is the Neurosyphilis stage which is when the bacterium begins to attack the heart, b lood vessels, bones, liver, and central nervous system. This causes damage to the tissue of the organs and possibly blindness or insanity. Preventing syphilis is very important because it can be life threatening. The most dependable way is to abstain from sexual intercourse. Other ways are selecting a partner who is not infected with a STD, having one sex-partner, and to use condoms correctly, but these methods can still cause a STD. Syphilis needs to be treated as soon as possible otherwise the outcomes can be life threatening. To test for syphilis, a Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL), a blood test, should be tested to confirm the infection. These tests test for the pres ...