Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is passed on by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Syphilis infection happens in three stages.
The first stage of syphilis infection occurs 10 days to three months after you become infected. Painless but highly infectious sores may appear on your genitals or around the mouth and your glands may become swollen. The sores are painless so you might not notice them.
A few weeks after the sores disappear, you may get a patchy rash on your body – especially the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Patchy hair loss and white patches in your mouth may also occur.
Serious damage to your heart, brain, bones and nervous system. This damage can be life-threatening.
It’s easy to test for syphilis with a simple blood test and it’s treated with antibiotics.
You can read more about syphilis on Terrence Higgins Trust’s website.