Syphilis

I think that Syphilis deserves some attention this week.  There are outbreaks of it in Michigan and Canada right now as reported on Promed, and then "syphilis" showed up on the very cool blog "Bounce" as one of the most euphonic words in the English language.  

Syphilis is a pretty neat pathogen because it hasn't become resistant to penicillin.  Years and years and countless doses of penicillin.....and NO resistance.   Treatment with penicillin does require getting a shot in the posterior, but that seems like a small and appropriate price to pay considering how it is transmitted.  Of course if the infection is left untreated for more than a year, multiple shots might be required...(the price of procrastination)...and the body breaks out in sores...and eventually the infection goes to the brain and makes people go insane....(it really is bad to procrastinate).

My brother Carl and his wife Hilary are both nurses and they both love to talk about strange diseases and health related problems. (Yes, we get along well.)  When Carl was learning about syphilis, he became very worried about getting it from sores or rashes of individuals infected with syphilis.  He warned me that if a homeless person with sores all over his/her body ever tries to hug me, I shouldn't allow it.  Hilary concurred.  I now pass this advice along.....use it well.

In the event that a person covered in syphilis sores has hugged you recently, the CDC website discusses syphilis in detail and even has a digital greeting card that you can send to the person who hugged you.