Brazil had more than 64,000 cases of syphilis registered in 2021, according to a balance sheet by the Ministry of Health.
Since 2017, October 15th marks the National Day to Combat Syphilis, a date that alerts the population about the importance of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
In an interview with CNN Radio urologist Danilo Galante explained that syphilis is a bacterial disease, which has been around for a long time.
“It came to the fore recently, due to this ‘boom’ of new cases, it is an STI, a sexually transmitted infection, which can also happen through blood transfusion, needle sharing or from mother to child.”
According to the doctor, the disease is “potentially quiet when cured quickly, but can be fatal if neglected.”
Disease evolution
There are three distinct phases of evolution.
In primary, when the patient comes into contact with the bacteria, it takes 10 to 90 days for the manifestation, which is a single lesion in the genital region.
“It goes away spontaneously, and the person thinks they are cured, but then comes the secondary phase.”
In it, symptoms such as fever, joint pain and weight loss manifest themselves.
In the tertiary stage, syphilis affects the central nervous system, causing neurological problems, which leave sequelae or cause death.
“It affects men, women or children,” said the doctor.
The increase in cases in Brazil, according to Danilo Galante, was due to social isolation, which reduced people’s sexual activity.
He explains that condom use is “the main weapon” to prevent the transmission of syphilis, but that checkups must be carried out regularly to detect it.
The diagnosis is made by a simple laboratory test and drug treatment.
*With production by Isabel Campos
Source: CNN Brasil
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