Scratching That Itch

Edouard Manet and Al Capone definitely had it while Henry VIII and Vladimir Lenin were only considered to have it, Oscar Wilde was famous for having it while Abraham Lincoln not only had it but he gave it to his wife but then syphilis is the disease that keeps giving and once thought to be in decline, it is now rampant.  
One of the oldest known sexually transmitted diseases, genetic studies have traced it back to South America and Christopher Columbus's crew in the late 15th Century who became infected with the disease while in the New World where it was running rampant among natives and brought it back to Europe.
The disease was on the verge on being eliminated at the turn of the Century but since 2020 cases of syphilis have increased by 32% and the World Health Organisation puts the number of new cases at 7.1 million, the largest spike since the 1940s  
The infection itself is easily treated and widely available, a few doses of penicillin clears it up but left untreated it can lead to blindness, paralysis, long-term neurological, cardiovascular diseases and death and most concerning can be passed congenitally from mother-to-child leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature births, low birth weights and the death of a baby shortly after birth.
In the US, congenital syphilis rates are soaring and have increased by 900% over the past five years, mainly amongst black, Latino and Hispanic women which the public health community put down to the disruption of STD prevention and testing resources during the pandemic and in Australia are introducing a national test and treat response plan including a prenatal screening for expectant mothers after a 90% rise amongst the population.
The WHO think that in the 1980's and 90's, with HIV and AID's in the news, there was more widespread use of condoms but over time unprotected sex became the norm and hence the explosion of STD's although they are unable to offer an explanation of why syphilis is rising faster than the other
sexually transmitted Diseases but they suspect it is due to the disease becoming more virulent and resistant to antibiotics.
It is also complicated by the embarrassment of admitting you have a STD and the way Syphilis symptoms in the early stages, flu-like symptoms, high temperature, headache and aching muscles, can be mistaken for less serious disorders and easily dismissed until the more serious consequences present themselves.
If you are concerned, the NHS provide a free self-test kit which you can use at home send it to a lab to be tested.