Syphilis:
Syphilis progresses in three stages, with the earliest symptoms appearing in 10 days to three weeks after sex with an infected partner. A painless sore (chancre) may appear on the genitals or in the vagina. Second-stage symptoms include a skin rash and flu-like symptoms. The infection remains even after these symptoms disappear. If left untreated, syphilis lapses into the latent stage, during which it is not contagious and has no symptoms. About one-third of people who reach this stage will develop the severe complications of late, or tertiary, syphilis, which can result in mental illness, blindness, heart disease and death. There are an estimated 120,000 new cases of syphilis in the U.S. each year.
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