New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is highlighting a troubling surge in babies born with syphilis over the last decade. According to the report published on Tuesday, the number of babies born with syphilis in 2022 was over 10 times higher than in 2012, with a staggering total of more than 3,700 cases. This count is the highest in over 30 years, as per CDC officials.
“The congenital syphilis crisis in the United States has skyrocketed at a heartbreaking rate,” said CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry in a news release. “New actions are needed to prevent more family tragedies. We’re calling on healthcare providers, public health systems, and communities to take additional steps to connect mothers and babies with the care they need.”
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that, if passed on to the baby during pregnancy, can lead to devastating outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, infant death, and lifelong medical issues. Among the 3,761 reported cases of congenital syphilis in 2022, there were 231 stillbirths and 51 infant deaths, the CDC revealed.
Lack of timely testing and adequate treatment were contributing factors in 88% of congenital syphilis cases in the United States, the report discovered. Responding to the findings, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, called the epidemic an “unacceptable American crisis.”
The report also emphasized that urgent and targeted efforts are required, to reduce this concerning trend across all racial and ethnic groups. Dr. Laura Bachmann, the chief medical officer of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, pointed out that a combination of individual and systemic barriers to testing and treatment resulted in missed prevention opportunities.
“All pregnant mothers — regardless of who they are or where they live — deserve access to care that protects them and their babies from preventable disease,” Mermin stressed.
The CDC is urging for a proactive, holistic approach and emphasizing every healthcare provider’s opportunity to prevent congenital syphilis during patient encounters for the duration of pregnancy.
In the meantime, the newborn syphilis epidemic persists, with disproportionately higher rates among Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The CDC’s push for healthcare providers, public health systems, and communities to address these disparities remains prominent.
– Alexander Tin contributed reporting.
