The annual number of reported cases of syphilis in the U.S. has dropped to 70,000 because of effective antibiotics and increased condom use. They do not always follow in the same sequence.
Symptoms vary with each phase, but there are no symptoms most of the time.
They last three to six weeks. They appear on the genitals, in the vagina, on the cervix, lips, mouth, or anus. Swollen glands may also occur during the primary phase. They may come and go for up to two years. Latent phases occur between other phases or can overlap them.