Yes. Antibiotics cure it, and early syphilis is usually cured with a single penicillin injection. What treatment cannot do is reverse damage already done in late-stage disease.

What does a syphilis rash look like?

Typically reddish-brown, flat, and not itchy, often involving the palms and soles. It is easily mistaken for an allergy or eczema.

Can the rash go away on its own?

It can fade without treatment. The infection stays in the body.

Can syphilis be present with no symptoms?

Yes. Latent syphilis has no symptoms and is found only on a blood test, which is why routine screening catches cases nothing else would.

When should I see a doctor?

If you develop a genital sore, an unexplained rash, especially on the palms or soles, or you have had a possible exposure.

Syphilis test and treatment in Kepong, KL

Syphilis is curable, and early syphilis is usually cured by a single injection. It is missed so often because the first sore is painless and heals on its own while the infection continues.

Get tested for syphilis How syphilis is found and treated

1 injectioncures most early syphilis
Blood testno swab, no procedure
Curableat every stage, before the damage
Walk inno appointment needed

Worth testing if any of these apply

Syphilis is missed more often than any other STI here, because the thing that would make you notice it goes away on its own.

A painless sore anywhere on the genitals, anus or mouth, whether or not it has healed
A reddish-brown rash, especially on the palms or the soles of the feet
Unexplained fever, sore throat, swollen glands, hair loss or fatigue after a possible exposure
A partner diagnosed with syphilis or any other STI
You are pregnant, or planning to be, since syphilis passes to the baby
Unprotected sex with a new or additional partner, with no symptoms at all

The last line is not filler. Latent syphilis has no symptoms whatsoever and is found only on a blood test.

Why it is called the great imitator

Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by Treponema pallidum, passed on through vaginal, oral or anal sex, and from mother to baby in pregnancy.

Its signs resemble so many other conditions that diagnosing it by looking is unreliable, which is exactly why it is diagnosed on a blood test instead. The rash gets mistaken for an allergy or eczema; the first sore gets mistaken for nothing at all, because it does not hurt.

The stages

What untreated syphilis does over time

Each stage is quieter than the one before it, which is the opposite of what people expect an infection to do.

PrimaryA single painless ulcer on the genitals, anus or mouth, which heals by itself in a few weeks.
SecondaryA reddish-brown rash, often on palms and soles, with fever, sore throat, swollen glands, hair loss and fatigue.
LatentNo symptoms at all, while the infection remains and stays transmissible early on.
LateDamage to the brain, nerves, eyes, heart and blood vessels. This part is permanent.

How it is tested for

Two blood tests, doing two different jobs. Because these infections travel together, others are usually screened for at the same visit.

VDRL or RPR: Detects the infection and measures how active it is. The number it gives is what treatment is then judged against.
TPHA or treponemal antibody: Confirms it is syphilis rather than one of the conditions that produce a false positive on the first test.
The rest of the screen: HIV, hepatitis B and C, gonorrhoea and chlamydia, usually at the same visit, because a syphilis diagnosis raises the odds on all of them.
Follow-up bloods: Repeated after treatment to confirm the titre is falling. This is how the clinic knows the treatment worked rather than assuming it.

Treatment, and what has to happen around it

Penicillin injection
The international standard, and for early infection often a single dose. Later-stage infection needs a longer course.
No sex until it is finished
Until treatment is complete and partners have been treated. Sex with an untreated partner reinfects you and wastes the course.
Partners tested and treated
Whether or not they have noticed anything. Most people with syphilis have noticed nothing.
Bloods repeated
To confirm the titre is falling as it should. Treatment is finished when the numbers say so, not when the sore has gone.

What else the clinic does about this

Full STD screening

Syphilis alongside HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, HPV and hepatitis, in one visit rather than five.

Free HIV testing

The 4th-generation rapid test, free and anonymous, with the result in about 15 minutes.

Genital ulcers that are not syphilis

Herpes, bacterial and fungal infection all produce sores that look similar and need entirely different treatment.

This stays between you and your doctor

Your consultation: Private and non-judgmental, whatever your gender, orientation or relationship status.
Your records: Encrypted in the clinic's own system, and only you can authorise access to them. Clinic staff cannot retrieve your results without your explicit consent.
Your name: You do not have to give one to be seen. Patients who would rather test anonymously can do so.
Your doctor: Every doctor here is named on this site with their training, and one of them is a Family Medicine Specialist on the National Specialist Register. Follow-up questions and repeat prescriptions go to the doctor who saw you, directly on WhatsApp rather than through a front desk.

Come in, or ask first

Walk in any time we are open (daily, 9:00am to 8:00pm), or send a message and ask whatever you need to ask before you do.

Anything you'd like to add (optional)

Your messageHi, I'd like to book a visit about syphilis.

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Common questions

Is syphilis curable?: Yes. Antibiotics cure it, and early syphilis is usually cured with a single penicillin injection. What treatment cannot do is reverse damage already done in late-stage disease.
What does a syphilis rash look like?: Typically reddish-brown, flat, and not itchy, often involving the palms and soles. It is easily mistaken for an allergy or eczema.
Can the rash go away on its own?: It can fade without treatment. The infection stays in the body.
Is syphilis testing painful?: It is a blood sample.
Can syphilis be present with no symptoms?: Yes. Latent syphilis has no symptoms and is found only on a blood test, which is why routine screening catches cases nothing else would.
When should I see a doctor?: If you develop a genital sore, an unexplained rash, especially on the palms or soles, or you have had a possible exposure.

Syphilis testing in Kepong, walk in any day until 8pm

48, Jalan Lang Kuning, 52100 Kepong Baru, Kuala Lumpur.