“In 1947, 118 people with syphilis and 22 people with gonorrhea were registered; 34 of them were sent for compulsory treatment,” Adam Baniecki wrote in his work on the Bolesławiec district..
In the autumn of 1948, a health center was established in Bolesławiec to help combat sexually transmitted diseases. It provided treatment for 563 people suffering from venereal diseases.
Other infectious diseases, such as smallpox and typhoid fever, were also a problem. Prevention, namely vaccination, proved helpful here. Almost 5,000 people were vaccinated against smallpox and 16,000 against typhoid fever.
Syphilis in the 20th century and today
During World War II, syphilis could kill more soldiers than combat, which is why numerous posters informed soldiers about the possible consequences of contracting syphilis and gonorrhea. Condoms helped combat venereal diseases, but ultimately the disease was defeated by the invention of penicillin
In the 21st century, syphilis remains dangerous, and the number of infected people continues to rise. In 2017, 33,189 confirmed cases of syphilis were reported in EU member states (7.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). The upward trend has continued for several years, Medonet reports. In Poland, the number of diagnosed syphilis patients exceeded 1,500 in 2017, and some regions, such as Pomerania, recorded as much as a fourfold increase in cases.
How is syphilis transmitted?
Syphilis is very easy to contract. Infection occurs as a result of vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse with an infected person. Healthy people are also at risk through kissing an infected person who has syphilitic lesions in the throat. Any skin damage in a healthy person places them at risk during intimate contact with an infected person. Untreated syphilis leads to damage to the nervous system, loss of vision, mental disorders, damage to the circulatory system, bones, joints, and parenchymal organs, and in some cases may cause death.