Syphilis Testing at Our Lamai Clinic on Koh Samui

Where can you get a syphilis test on Koh Samui ?

At our clinic in Lamai, at 124/231 Moo 3, Lamai Beach Road, Maret 84310, where STD and STI testing is available every day from 09:00 to midnight. You walk in, you are seen by a doctor, and the blood sample is taken in the same visit. The number is 077-960-200 if you want to ask something before you come in.

The consultation fee at Lamai starts from 800 THB, and the doctor explains what the test costs before any sample is taken. Nobody at reception asks why you are there, and the conversation about exposure happens behind a closed door with the doctor alone.

Why test for syphilis specifically

Syphilis tends to get lost behind the infections people hear more about. Travellers worry about HIV, and they worry about chlamydia, but syphilis has made a steady comeback in many countries over the last decade and is now one of the commoner positive results in routine screening. It also behaves differently from the bacterial infections that cause discharge or burning. The first sign, if there is one at all, is usually a small painless sore that heals on its own within a few weeks, which is exactly why so many people never realise they had it. A blood test is the only reliable way to know.

When does a syphilis blood test become accurate ?

From around three to six weeks after exposure for most people, with some guidance using up to three months as the outer limit. Before that point, a negative result does not rule infection out, because the antibodies the test looks for have not yet built up. This waiting period is called the window period, and every sexually transmitted infection has one.

Many results come back the same day and some the next, depending on the test and the courier run; reception confirms timing when the sample is taken.

What the result actually tells you

Syphilis testing usually involves two kinds of blood test. One detects antibodies that stay positive for life once you have ever had syphilis, even after successful treatment. The other measures how active an infection is right now, and it falls after treatment, which is how doctors confirm the treatment has worked. This matters if you have been treated for syphilis before: a positive result on the first kind of test may simply reflect the old infection, so tell the doctor about any past diagnosis and they will interpret the result properly rather than alarming you unnecessarily.

What does syphilis look like, and why do people miss it ?

Syphilis moves through stages, and each one is easy to mistake for something else. The pattern below is typical, though not everyone experiences every stage.

• Primary stage: a single small, firm, painless sore where the infection entered, usually around three weeks after exposure, which heals on its own
• Secondary stage: a few weeks later, a non-itchy rash, often on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, sometimes with fever or swollen glands
• Latent stage: no symptoms at all, sometimes for years, while the infection remains in the body
• Late stage: rare where testing is common, but capable of affecting the heart, brain and nerves

The painless sore is the trap. Because it does not hurt and disappears without treatment, people assume it was a scratch or an ingrown hair. A rash on the palms or soles a month or two after a new partner is a classic sign and should always prompt a test, however well you feel.

How is syphilis treated ?

With antibiotics, and in most cases that means a long-acting penicillin injection, which the Lamai clinic can give at the visit. People who are allergic to penicillin can usually be treated with an alternative, and the doctor will ask about allergies before prescribing anything. Early syphilis typically needs a single treatment; infection that has been present longer may need a course of several injections over a few weeks.

After treatment, a few things matter:

1. Avoid sex until the doctor says the infection has cleared, usually at least a week after treatment and until any sores have healed.
2. Tell recent partners so they can be tested and treated, otherwise reinfection is likely.
3. Have follow-up blood tests at the intervals the doctor gives you, so the activity marker can be checked as it falls.
4. Keep your written results and treatment record, especially if your follow-up will happen at home.

If you are moving on from Koh Samui, our clinics on Koh Phangan and Koh Tao can carry on your follow-up, because the same group runs all three.

What does testing cost at our Lamai clinic ?

The entry STD package starts from 1,990 THB and covers HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The next package up adds gonorrhoea and chlamydia, and wider panels screening for more infections in one visit go up to 8,800 THB. The consultation fee at Lamai starts from 800 THB. A lab courier fee may apply at some branches; reception confirms the full price before testing.

If syphilis is the only thing on your mind, the entry package is usually the sensible starting point, because it covers syphilis alongside the other blood-borne infections passed on the same way. If there was also a risk of a bacterial infection, ask about the package that adds gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Our STD and STI service page lists what each package covers.

Should you get tested — a quick decision guide

• New partner and no testing since → test, ideally from three weeks after the encounter
• A painless sore, now healed → test now; the sore healing does not mean the infection has gone
• Rash on the palms or soles weeks after sex → be seen today
• Partner diagnosed with syphilis → be seen and treated, whatever your own result
• Treated for syphilis before → tell the doctor, so the result is read correctly
• Exposure in the last three weeks → come in; the doctor will tell you when the blood test will be reliable

For independent background, the World Health Organization syphilis fact sheet is a reliable non-commercial source.

Address, opening hours and directions: Ocean Medical Clinic Lamai, Koh Samui