Syphilis is a chronic bacterial disease that is acquired primarily through infection during sexual intercourse, but it can also be transmitted congenitally from an infected mother to her developing fetus. Syphilis can be transmitted by direct contact with syphilis sores that appear on the external genitals, vagina, anus or in the rectum. Sores may also appear on the lips and inside the mouth. Pregnant women can put their child at risk of contracting the disease if they do not receive necessary medications. Syphilis can be a painful and worrying illness, even fatal if not properly treated with the appropriate medication. To save yourself the pain, suffering and costs, it is important to practice safe sex to avoid this nasty disease as well as other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Symptoms of syphilis begin to appear between 10 and 90 days of age and consist of a primary stage; and a secondary stage. The first stage is multiple sores that appear on the parts of the body where the bacteria has entered. The sores are firm, round and usually painless and can easily go unnoticed, making the disease more likely to progress to the secondary stage. The sores last about 3 to 6 weeks but can heal even without treatment. It is therefore essential that a person gets checked before syphilis reaches the secondary stage. The secondary stage consists of rashes and mouth sores. vagina or anus. The rash can appear on several parts of the body and usually appears several weeks after the sores have healed. The rash may or may not itch and appears as spots on the hands and back, and usually develops in warm, moist areas such as the armpits, groin, and mouth. The rashes appear rough, red, or reddish... middle of paper ....... However, if caught early, syphilis can easily be treated using penicillin (and other medications, if necessary) . Residents of Washington, DC have the highest rates of syphilis and should be more alert to the signs, symptoms, and treatments of this STD. Syphilis can easily be contracted if proper precautions are not taken. When having sex, be sure to use condoms and get tested regularly to make sure no STDs have been contracted and if anything is contracted, get it treated immediately. Washington DC residents have the highest rates of syphilis and should be more alert to the signs, symptoms and treatments of this STD.Works Citedhttp://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.htm http: // www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis2011/DC11.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neurosyphilis/neurosyphilis.htm