You Can’t Contract an STD or STI from Masturbation — but There’s a Catch

The Silent Sexually Transmitted Infection Killing Victorian Babies

Syphilis infections among women of reproductive age have more than doubled from 99 cases in 2016 to 274 cases in 2023, a trend that concerns health experts including McGrath.

The spread of the disease is linked to changing sexual behaviours, including a rise in sex without condoms.

"We are seeing an increase in sexually transmitted infections across the board and that includes chlamydia and gonorrhea," McGrath said.

He said the new screening regime would identify people who acquire syphilis during pregnancy and ensure they receive treatment, which involves an injection of penicillin. Early treatment prevents syphilis from passing through the placenta and infecting the fetus.

"We are mindful that people's partners are often the source of syphilis as well, and they may not know what their partners have been doing, which makes it awkward," he said. "The screening is the best way to do it."

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Under new recommendations recently issued by Victoria's chief health officer, Dr Tarun Weeramanthri, pregnant women should be tested for syphilis at their first antenatal visit, between 26 and 28 weeks and at 36 weeks or birth. These recommendations mirror new national guidance aimed at driving down rising syphilis cases.

Syphilis is often referred to as "the great imitator" because its symptoms, which can include rashes, skin lesions, headaches and fever, often mimic other infections. However, many patients report not having any symptoms at all, highlighting the importance of screening.

Dr Nisha Khot, vice-president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said she was surprised by the number of pregnant women she was treating for syphilis.

"It wasn't something I was expecting in this day and age," she said. "We thought it had disappeared from the Western world."

Dr Nisha Khot is among the doctors now treating patients for syphilis.Credit: Justin McManus

Dr Jeremy Carr, a paediatric infectious diseases physician at Monash Children's Hospital, said his health service regularly treated pregnant women infected with syphilis.

"We have several children every week that we need to follow up to ensure that they haven't contracted syphilis and that is not necessarily an easy thing to do," he said.

Babies born to mothers infected with syphilis must have repeated blood tests over a six to 12-month period. Infants who go on to develop an infection are treated with penicillin, which may be administered intravenously in hospital over 10 days.

Carr said almost all babies who went on to develop syphilis in early childhood had no symptoms at birth. "But over the first few years they develop lifelong disabilities in terms of neurological symptoms, development, hearing, vision difficulties," he said. "It's a silent infection that can have long-lasting impacts."

He said congenital syphilis was an entirely preventable disease through testing and equitable and accessible healthcare during pregnancy.

The federal Health Department says women of reproductive age, men who have sex with men and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at higher risk of infectious syphilis.

While many people have no symptoms, early signs of the disease include sores or ulcers on the genitals or mouth. As the disease progresses, those infected might experience rashes, skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, hair loss, joint aches, fatigue and headaches. If untreated, the infection can cause dementia, lung and heart failure, brain infections, blindness and death.

People can protect themselves from syphilis by using condoms, getting tested regularly for STIs and by avoiding sharing needles if they inject drugs.

Men More Likely To Be Diagnosed With An STI, CDC Says

By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA

Men were more likely to be diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) last year, mainly due to unsafe sexual practices, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

Last year saw 9,738 confirmed cases of syphilis and 7,605 cases of gonorrhea, with unprotected sex the main cause, the CDC said in a statement.

STIs primarily affect sexually active men younger than 50, it said.

Photo courtesy of Taipei Veterans General Hospital via CNA

However, syphilis cases have decreased by 2 percent and gonorrhea cases by 8 percent from 2023, it added.

Although the number of cases is going down, syphilis cases in 2023 were the second-highest in five years, while gonorrhea remains among the top three most reported STIs, CDC spokeswoman Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told reporters.

Syphilis has a male-to-female reported case ratio of 5:1, while as many as 90 percent of gonorrhea cases were men, she said.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and spreads through direct contact with an infectious sore via skin-to-skin contact, mucous membranes and blood, with an incubation period of 10 to 90 days, she said.

The initial symptoms of syphilis are painless ulcers on the genitals, which can then develop into a rash, headache, fatigue and fever, she added.

If untreated, syphilis can cause tumors and life-threatening neurological and cardiovascular complications, Tseng said.

Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, with symptoms presenting in men as pus-like discharge and painful urination from two to seven days after infection, while women are often asymptomatic, she said.

If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to infertility in women, or spread to the rectum, throat or eyes, where it can cause gonococcal conjunctivitis, she added.

Both diseases are curable, although reinfection can occur, Tseng said.

The CDC recommends safe sex practices such as wearing a condom, using water-based lubricants and regular STI testing for those with active sex lives.

It also recommends that sexual partners encourage each other to get tested and treated if necessary to avoid "ping pong" style reinfections.

Record 8,155 Cases Of Syphilis Logged In Japan As Of This Month

Syphilis is spreading in Japan, with a record 8,155 cases reported so far this year, mainly in people in their 20s. 

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) reported that 8,155 cases of the sexually transmitted disease had been tallied nationwide as of Sept. 4, suggesting this year's total will likely increase.

The cases are the most since the NIID began collecting data on syphilis cases by employing its current method in 1999.

The increase likely results from people becoming more promiscuous as social media provides ample opportunities to have sex with relative strangers, said Katsumi Shigemura, an associate professor of urology at Kobe University, and a senior official at the Japanese Association of Infectious Diseases.

"Even if suspected symptoms are gone, people should undergo an examination as soon as they suspect even a remote chance of being infected," he added.

By prefecture, Tokyo reported the most cases, at 2,343, followed by 1,091 in Osaka Prefecture, 463 in Aichi Prefecture and 332 in Fukuoka Prefecture.

An analysis of the cases reported between January and July showed that 34 percent of patients were those in their 20s. People in their 30s accounted for 22 percent, with 20 percent being those in their 40s.

Of the patients, 67 percent are men.

A patient develops syphilis after being infected with Treponema pallidum, a bacterium.

The bacterium is transmissible through intercourse, kissing and other sexual activities.

It can be passed from a mother to her unborn child.

A patient will have a small sore on their genitals or mouth about a month or so after becoming infected.

Although the sore naturally disappears, red rashes appear all over the body in one to three months, accompanied by fever and fatigue in some cases.

Even if patients do not experience symptoms for some time, symptoms can later return.

Without treatment, patients can develop bumps on the skin or bones or bulging and swelling of the aorta three to 10 years later.

A blood test can determine if someone is infected. The disease is treatable.

Shigemura said syphilis is also preventable with the proper use of contraceptives.

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