What are the symptoms of syphilis?

Syphilis develops in different stages:

Primary syphilis (4 to 6 weeks after exposure)
A small sore (also known as a chancre) appears on the penis or on or near the vagina, anus or mouth.

Secondary syphilis (6 weeks to 1 year after exposure)
In the secondary stage, you may have symptoms such as:

• non-itchy rash on your torso, arms and legs
• bumps around the penis or vagina
• fever
• feeling ill
• muscle pain
• hair loss

Secondary syphilis can sometimes cause more serious symptoms. It may affect your liver, kidneys or brain. A small percentage of people who have syphilis do not have any symptoms in the primary and/or secondary stage. This is more likely if it is not the person’s first exposure to syphilis.

Tertiary syphilis (2 years to 30 years after exposure)
After the secondary stage, the symptoms often go away. If syphilis is not treated, the disease can come back again years later. At that point, it can cause severe damage to the brain, eyes or heart.

If you think that you might have syphilis, get tested by your own doctor (GP) or at the Municipal Public Health Services (GGD). More information about STI testing.

How does syphilis spread?

You can contract syphilis during sex, especially if you do not use condoms. The bacteria can be transmitted when the mucous membranes of your vagina, penis, anus or mouth are in contact with the sores or bumps of someone who has syphilis.

You can also get syphilis by receiving blood or organs from a donor. That is why donors are regularly tested for syphilis. A person with syphilis is contagious through blood contact for much longer than through sexual contact. Even a year or two after the primary infection, the bacteria can still be passed on through blood.

A person with syphilis can transmit the bacteria to others 10 to 90 days after the primary infection. The disease is often contagious starting from 3 weeks after the first sore appears.

How can I prevent syphilis?

You can protect yourself against syphilis to some extent by using a condom or dental dam during sex. This only works if the sores or bumps are completely covered.

Is there any treatment for syphilis?

Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics. Without antibiotics, syphilis will not go away on its own.

Should I tell my sex partners that I have syphilis?

If you have syphilis, it is possible that your sex partners also have syphilis. That is why they need to be informed and tested, and should also receive treatment if necessary. By doing so, you help prevent the virus from spreading. Have you been tested, and do you have syphilis? Then you can warn your sex partners that you have an STI through the website at partnerwaarschuwing.nl. You can warn your partners anonymously.

Is syphilis dangerous during pregnancy?

If you are pregnant and have syphilis, you could pass syphilis on to the baby during pregnancy or childbirth. This could cause birth defects, pre-term birth or stillbirth. That is why people are always tested for syphilis at the beginning of their pregnancy. Syphilis does not cause more severe illness during pregnancy than for a person who is not pregnant.

How common is syphilis in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, syphilis is mainly seen in men who have sex with men. In 2023, 1,693 people who were tested at a sexual health centre had syphilis. 93% of these people were men who have sex with men. Syphilis is also more common among people with HIV.

Hardly any babies are born with syphilis in the Netherlands. Since 2009, between 0 and 3 babies have been born with syphilis annually.