Dr Ian Holtby, Teesside Health Protection Agency, on syphilis
'Syphilis is a relatively uncommon sexually transmitted infection that can cause serious problems if left untreated, particularly in pregnant women. It can be treated very easily with antibiotics, but symptoms can be difficult to recognise and may take up to three months after infection to show. The first sign is often a painless ulcer at the place where the bacteria entered the body. Sometimes this ulcer is not noticed. If the infection remains untreated, six to 12 weeks after the sores appeared a variety of other symptoms may develop, including a non-itchy rash across the body, flu-like symptoms, sores in the mouth and patchy hair loss. Syphilis is highly infectious at both of these stages, so seek medical help and avoid sexual contact until the infection has been treated.'
Dr Ian Holtby, Teesside Health Protection Agency
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