On March 24, 2010, according to the United Kingdom's newspaper of the year, The Telegraph,' one of England's directors of health says there appears to be a connection between Facebook, its popularity, and the spread of the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) syphilis.http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/is_a_facebooksyphilis_connection_ridiculous.php

According to the Telegraph, Peter Kelly, the director of public health for the Teesside area of England, has declared that sites such as Facebook may be intimately entwined with a meteoric rise in the incidences of syphilis. He claims that his region is enduring a fourfold increase in cases of this wretched disease.http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10470474-71.html

A spokesperson for Facebook said, "Facebook has said that reports linking the site's rise to an increased incidence of the bacterial infection syphilis are 'ridiculous'," according to the Telegraph.http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/is_a_facebooksyphilis_connection_ridiculous.php

The general population is not dismissing this swiftly. Allegedly, there is a plausible correlation between the two and there could be "cause" to believe that, even though indirectly, Facebook could indeed abet the spread of STDs. Culpability is another issue and reliable sources indeed continue to dismiss the rumor as "ridiculous."http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361813,00.asp

Those who initiated the study speculate that the unprotected chat in Facebook leads to arrangements for Facebook users to meet and have casual sex. Again, Facebook's people vehemently deny this. "As Facebook's more than 400 million users know, our website is not a place to meet people for casual sex - it's a place for friends, family and co-workers to connect and share," a Facebook spokesman said.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7508945/Facebook-linked-to-rise-in-syphilis.html

Symptoms include a genital ulcer which is painless. In the secondary stage, a generalized body rash that includes the palms and the soles become evident. Symptoms can be treated, but can reoccur if it is transmitted again. It will then need to be re-treated.

In its late stages, if left untreated, syphilis can cause mental disorders, blindness, and death.http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/720/main.html