Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics, such as penicillin G benzathine, doxycycline, or tetracycline (for patients who are allergic to penicillin). Length of treatment depends on the extent of the syphilis and factors such as the patient's overall health.

For treatment of syphilis during pregnancy, penicillin is the drug of choice. Tetracycline cannot be used because it is dangerous to the fetus, and erythromycin may not prevent congenital syphilis in the fetus. People who are allergic to penicillin should ideally be desensitized to it, then treated with penicillin.

Several hours after getting treatment for the early stages of syphilis, people may experience Jarish-Herxheimer reaction, which is caused by an immune reaction to the breakdown products of the infection.

Symptoms of this reaction include:

• Chills
• Fever
• General feeling of being ill (malaise)
• Headache
• Joint aches
• Muscle aches
• Nausea

These symptoms usually disappear within 24 hours.

Follow-up blood tests must be done at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months to ensure that the infection is gone. Avoid sexual contact when the chancre is present, and use condoms until two follow-up tests have indicated that the infection has been cured.

All sexual partners of the person with syphilis should also be treated. Syphilis is extremely contagious in the primary and secondary stages.

Syphilis can be completely cured if diagnosed early and treated thoroughly.

• Cardiovascular syphilis
• Congenital syphilis
• Neurosyphilis
• Secondary syphilis
• Syphilitic meningitis
• Tertiary syphilis

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of syphilis.

If you have had intimate contact with a person who has syphilis or any other STD, or have engaged in any high-risk sexual practices, including having multiple or unknown partners or using intravenous drugs, contact your doctor or get screened in an STD clinic.