If a person's immune system is damaged, those STDs go uncontrolled, and the symptoms can be much more severe than normal. Preventing STDs not only indirectly controls the spread of HIV, it also prevents complications in people co-infected with HIV and other STDs. The first step toward prevention is to understand how STDs are spread, their common symptoms, and how they can be treated. As the lesion may be painless and occur in the rectum, it can go unnoticed, and be easily spread. Infection is detected by blood test, examining fluid produced by the lesions, and spinal fluid testing.
Antibiotics are successful in treating syphilis.
Damage caused by untreated syphilis, however, cannot be undone. Even without treatment the lesion will heal in about three weeks. The patient will then develop secondary syphilis, which is often characterized by a body rash. Without treatment, the rash will remain for about four weeks and also eventually disappear. Because of a relatively long incubation period, the spread of syphilis can be stopped by testing individuals who suspect they may be infected, and then treating them before the infection can be spread to others.