What is syphilis? The aim of this trial is to find out if syphilis affects a particular gender or age group, and if so, how is it transmitted? Many people are unaware of this disease because its frequency has decreased significantly since penicillin became available. However, this disease is not completely extinct. “The last decade has seen an increase in new cases of syphilis, an almost forgotten historical disease, particularly in certain risk groups” (Wohrl and Geusau, 2007). Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacteria Treponema palladium. When syphilis is transmitted sexually, it is called venereal syphilis (Wohrl and Geusau, 2007). This disease can also be transmitted to the unborn child via the mother; this is called congenital syphilis (Wohrl and Geusau, 2007).Question 1What are the three stages of syphilis? How does syphilis progress at each stage? What are the symptoms?Dependent variable: progression of syphilisIndependent variable: stages of syphilisIt is important to know how syphilis is spread from person to person and how the dangers increase with each stage.There are three stages in Syphilis:Primary stage- This is the first stage of syphilis where painful, infectious ulcers, also called chancres, usually appear three weeks after sexual contact with an infected person. Genital chancre is called kissing lesions on a woman's vagina. This lesion is very contagious (Diaz, 2010). This usually occurs in areas where Treponema pallidium enters the body. As the progression of syphilis is slow, the chances of these ulcers being detected early are very low. Chancres are usually found on a woman's vulva or cervix. They are also found in the middle of paper...... vision.(Diaz, 2010)This disease increases with the risks at each stage. It is advisable to seek immediate treatment if anything unusual or suspicious is noticed in an individual. Works Cited Diaz, MM (February 24, 2010). Syphilis. New York, United States. Gill, N. (2001, June 28). Eurosurveillance. Retrieved from the Friday July 2010 Eurosurveillance 2001 Weekly Issue: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=1725Handsfield, HH (2001). Color Atlas and Summary of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. United States: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Janes, K. S. (2009). Community health nursing. In KS Janes, Caring for Public Health. (2.ed.) (p.454). Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Wöhrl, AG (June 9, 2007). Clinical update. Extract from Thursday July 2010 from Syphilis: symptoms, images and treatment: http://www.avert.org/syphilis.htm