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Stop Syphilis

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Stop Syphilis

For information related to the national Bicillin recall, visit Bicillin L-A® | STI | CDC.

In response to increasing rates of syphilis, MDHHS has launched the "Stop Syphilis" campaign to increase awareness of and testing for syphilis. Syphilis is a preventable and treatable sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause serious health problems if left untreated.

Babies can also get syphilis. Congenital syphilis happens when women pass the infection to their babies during pregnancy and can cause serious health problems. It can also cause health problems for the pregnant woman if there is a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Since 2019, congenital syphilis births in Michigan have increased more than 200%. Syphilis rates have also drastically increased for those ages 20-45 and in heterosexual people. 

Getting tested for syphilis is important, especially for pregnant women. All sexually active people are encouraged to ask for a syphilis blood test when getting tested for other STIs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV. Most local health departments offer no or low-cost testing and many medical providers can order this test.

If you have questions about syphilis or other STIs, please call the Michigan HIV/STI Hotline at 800-872-2437 or visit misexualhealthinfo.com.

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  • What is Syphilis?

    Syphilis is a preventable and treatable sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause serious health problems if left untreated. Syphilis is spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex. Women can also pass syphilis to babies during pregnancy (congenital syphilis). Syphilis develops in stages (primary, secondary, latent and tertiary).

    Signs and Symptoms

    There are different signs and symptoms at each stage of syphilis. Many people do not notice any signs or symptoms. 

    • Primary stage: A person with primary syphilis generally has a sore or sores in the area where syphilis entered the body. These sores usually occur on or around the genitals, the anus or the rectum, or the mouth. These sores are usually (but not always) firm, round and painless.
    • Secondary stage: Symptoms of secondary syphilis include skin rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever. The signs and symptoms of primary and secondary syphilis can be mild, and they might not be noticed.
    • Latent stage: This stage is a period when there are no visible signs or symptoms of syphilis.
    • Tertiary stage: Most people with untreated syphilis do not develop tertiary syphilis. Tertiary syphilis occurs 10-30 years after the syphilis infection began and is very serious. Tertiary syphilis damages internal organs and can result in death.

    Without treatment, syphilis can spread during any stage to the brain and nervous system (neurosyphilis), the eye (ocular syphilis) or the ear (otosyphilis). Signs and symptoms can include:

    • Neurosyphilis: Severe headache, muscle weakness, trouble with muscle movement, changes to a person's mental state, dementia.
    • Ocular syphilis: Eye pain, eye redness, changes in vision or blindness.
    • Otosyphilis: Hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), dizziness or vertigo.

    Testing 

    Health care providers typically use a blood test to test for syphilis. All sexually active Michiganders are encouraged to ask for a syphilis blood test when getting tested for other STIs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV. Most local public health departments offer no or low-cost testing and many medical providers can order this test. Find STI testing near you.

    Treatment

    Syphilis is treated and cured with antibiotics. Bicillin L-A® is the recommended treatment for syphilis and the only treatment option for some people.

    Without treatment, syphilis can cause long-lasting harm. Follow-up testing by a health care provider should be done after treatment to make sure the infection is cured.

    Resources

    • Learn more about syphilis (CDC).
    • If you have questions about syphilis or other STIs, please call the Michigan HIV/STI Hotline at 800-872-2437 or visit misexualhealthinfo.com.

  • What is Congenital Syphilis?

    Congenital syphilis happens when women pass syphilis to their babies during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can cause serious health problems, such as:

    • Miscarriage or stillbirth.
    • Premature birth.
    • Low birth weight.
    • Severe anemia.
    • Blindness or deafness.

    The only way to know if you have syphilis is to get tested. If you are pregnant, you should get tested for syphilis at these times:

    • At the first prenatal visit.
    • At the beginning of the third trimester, ideally around 28-32 weeks.
    • At delivery.

    Syphilis can be treated and cured with medication to prevent transmission. Getting treatment early and staying on track with treatment is key to making sure your baby is healthy.

    Resources:

  • How Can I Prevent Syphilis?

    • Get tested for STIs if you are sexually active. Always get tested before having sex with a new partner and ask your partner about their STI status.
    • If you are pregnant, get tested for syphilis at the first prenatal visit, at the beginning of the third trimester (ideally around 28- 32 weeks) and at delivery.
    • Limit your number of sexual partners and use condoms correctly every time you have sex.
    • Never share needles or other injection equipment.

    Partner Services
    Partner Services is a free program that helps people with some STIs, including syphilis, contact their sex and needle-sharing partners to help them get tested. Notifying your current and past sex and/or needle-sharing partners is an important step if you are diagnosed with an STI. Partner Services can notify your partners in a way that protects your confidentiality.

    Medication to Prevent STIs
    Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) is medication taken after sex to lower the chance of some STIs including syphilis. Doxy PEP is recommended for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender women that are more likely to get bacterial STIs. Doxy PEP has been shown to reduce syphilis infections by more than 70% when taken within 72 hours after sex. Talk to your health care provider if you think doxy PEP would be a good option for you.

    Resources

  • Community Resources

    Syph Happens

    This palm card includes information on syphilis, including symptoms, screening and treatment, which supports advocacy through awareness, stigma reduction and encouraging timely testing and care.

    Your Health. Your Peace. Your Power.

    Black women deserve care that listens, information they can trust and the freedom to make informed decisions about their health. Bringing together the Stop Syphilis and Mahogany Blue campaigns, this infographic was inspired by the voices of Black women and informed by Michigan data. It provides clear guidance about syphilis, HIV prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and routine sexual health screening while helping women understand their options, navigate conversations with their health care providers, and connect to prevention and screening services that support lifelong wellness.

    In Michigan, Black women continue to experience disproportionately high rates of syphilis and HIV. Routine screening can help prevent new infections, support early diagnosis and treatment, and empower women to make informed decisions about their health.

    Whether you're making routine screening part of your wellness journey or sharing what you’ve learned with someone you care about, you'll find helpful resources, trusted information and actionable next steps on this page to support you along the way.

    Infographic with information on syphilis and the Stop Syphilis campaign.

  • Resources for Health Care Professionals

    STI Screening and Treatment Guidance

    Doxycycline as STI Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

    Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) has proven to reduce the chance of getting a bacterial STI for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender women that are more likely to get these infections (specifically, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea). MDHHS highly encourages the adoption of doxy PEP to combat increasing bacterial STIs in Michigan.

    Disease Intervention Specialists 

    Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) work in state and local health departments to ensure patients are treated and to stop transmission of STIs. Most new syphilis cases are assigned to a DIS to ensure reporting, follow-up, etc. DIS help providers across Michigan with new diagnoses, sharing comprehensive syphilis history and discussing treatment. All personal information patients share with DIS is confidential. For assistance with follow-up for patients that have been tested and diagnosed with syphilis, see the MDHHS HIV & STI Outreach Contact Directory.

    Partner Services

    Partner Services staff, including DIS, can reach out to notify and provide follow-up for partners of patients. Partner Services includes testing and treatment of partners, counseling and the same level of DIS follow-up that patients receive.

    Consultation

    • Michigan HIV & STI Consult Program
      Funded by MDHHS, Henry Ford Hospital offers Michigan health care professionals free provider-to-provider advice on HIV and syphilis
      diagnoses, management and prevention. HIV and STI experts information about HIV care management, current and previous syphilis diagnoses and best practices.
      • Non-urgent questions: Submit questions at Michigan HIV & STI Consult Program. Questions will be answered within 24 to 48 hours.
      • Immediate-need questions: Contact the 24-hour consultation line at 313-575-0332 to speak to a live representative.
    • Perinatal Consultation Support

    STI Educational Materials

    STI Educational Materials
    If you would like to request brochures or other communication materials that can be used to educate, inform and increase awareness around HIV and STIs, please use SHOARS to submit a supply order request.

    Please Note: Some brochures and other communication materials may be out of stock, discontinued or unavailable per contractual agreements. If there are any questions or concerns regarding this process, please reach out to MDHHS-SHOARS-SUPPORT@michigan.gov.

    For detailed instructions on how to register for SHOARS and submit a supply order request, visit Michigan.gov/SHOARS.

  • Syphilis Trends & Data

    Women of childbearing age (13-45) remain a priority population for public health follow-up, as syphilis may be vertically transmitted to infants during pregnancy and childbirth

    Since 2019, congenital syphilis births in Michigan have increased more than 200%. In the same time, syphilis rates have also drastically increased for those ages 20-45 and in heterosexual people.

    Data reports on STIs in Michigan including diagnoses and diagnosis trends can be viewed at HIV & STI Data & Statistics Reports.

About Michigan's Campaign to Stop Syphilis

In response to increasing rates of syphilis, especially among pregnant women (congenital syphilis), MDHHS has launched the "Stop Syphilis" campaign. This campaign underscores MDHHS’s commitment to raising awareness about the importance of syphilis testing among sexually active individuals living in Michigan.

The Stop Syphilis campaign aims to increase awareness of and testing for syphilis. Primary focus areas for the campaign will be the city of Detroit, Kalamazoo, Washtenaw and Genesee counties which have historically shown the highest positive case rates of infectious syphilis in Michigan. The campaign features three different creative materials to promote the importance of testing for syphilis to the wide demographic of those increasingly affected by syphilis.

Syph Happens
Your Health is Their Health
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