Can syphilis be inherited?
What you need to know:
- Since you say she has qualities of a good wife, talk to her about your fears or if you cannot please engage a professional counsellor.
- In the meantime, check for syphilis because it is an STD which may result in you re-infecting her with consequences.
Dear Doctor:Is it true that syphilis is in the genes? I found my girlfriend using syphilis drugs. She claims the medicines were recommended by her grandmother, who had syphilis. She is a good woman who can make a good wife and I do not want to lose her. But I need to know that my children will not also suffer a similar disease.— Amos
Dear Amos: Syphilis is not inherited and therefore one cannot have it just because they carry a grandmother’s genes. Syphilis is a disease transmitted mostly through sex, although in Uganda most people claim it was inherited. What is true is that it can be passed on from an infected mother to an unborn child (congenital syphilis).
Sexually transmitted diseases can strain relationships and that is why sufferers treat them incognito, especially when they are suspicious of their origin.
Since you say she has qualities of a good wife, talk to her about your fears or if you cannot please engage a professional counsellor. In the meantime, check for syphilis because it is an STD which may result in you re-infecting her with consequences.