Public health nurses at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital have called on the public to undergo regular screening for Syphilis, warning that the infection remains a serious public health concern if left untreated.
Speaking on ATL FM’s Atlantic Wave programme, Thelma Abraham, a public health nurse at the hospital’s Public Health Department, explained that advanced stages of the infection could lead to severe and sometimes irreversible complications affecting different parts of the body.
According to her, when the infection progresses without treatment, it can damage the nervous system and interfere with coordination and movement.
“It can affect your eyes, your brain, your kidneys and your lymph everywhere in your body. It can affect any part,” she said.
She cautioned that by the time the infection reaches the tertiary stage, treatment options become limited.
“By the time it gets to the tertiary stage and it has affected your eyes, you may go blind and when you come to the hospital nothing can be done. If it affects your brain and the cells are dying, nothing can be done because it has gone through its full course of infection,” she explained.
Ms. Abraham emphasized that the infection is not limited to any particular age group, noting that anyone who engages in sexual intercourse with an infected person is at risk.
“There’s no age-specific group. As long as you are engaging in sexual intercourse and interact with someone who is syphilis positive, you can get it. It doesn’t matter whether you are a teenager or an older person,” she stated.
She also warned that pregnant women could transmit the infection to their unborn babies if they contract the disease during pregnancy. “If you are pregnant and you have sexual intercourse with someone who has syphilis, then you put your baby at risk of getting syphilis,” she added.
Ms. Abraham therefore urged the public to prioritize routine health checks to help detect infections early and prevent complications. “Whether you see signs or not, you are supposed to screen yearly for syphilis, HIV and do your laboratory tests to be sure you are fit,” she advised.
She further encouraged individuals to seek medical attention if they notice unusual symptoms, stressing that shyness or stigma surrounding sexually transmitted infections should not prevent people from seeking care.
“Sometimes people are shy when it comes to sexually transmitted infections, but it’s your life. If you see any sign or something unusual on your body, you have to come to the hospital,” she said.
Ms. Abraham also urged the public to practice safe sexual behaviour and avoid indiscriminate sexual encounters while remaining vigilant about their health.
Meanwhile, her colleague Yvonne Korankye emphasized the importance of immediate treatment once a person is diagnosed with the infection to prevent it from worsening.
She also encouraged adolescents and young people to visit health facilities promptly if they observe symptoms that may suggest a sexually transmitted infection.
Health professionals say regular screening and early treatment remain key strategies in preventing complications associated with syphilis and reducing its spread within communities.
Read Also: UCC to Honour VP Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang This Friday, What you must know
Source: Jessica Seyram Kuukua Zaney/ATLFMNEWS
