Over 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in the US in 2022, a 32% increase from 2021.
Socioeconomic factors and inadequate maternal health and child care services have contributed to the rise of congenital syphilis and racial and ethnic gaps.
The CDC has called for increased prevention measures, including encouraging sexually active women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested.
The United States has seen a significant increase in congenital syphilis cases over the past decade, with a 32% rise from 2021 to 2022, resulting in over 3,700 cases in 2022. This is the highest count in over 30 years, and the number of newborn syphilis cases has risen more than tenfold from 2012 to 2022. The largest share of infections was reported among Southern states, followed by Western states.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72% of the US population lived in counties with rates of syphilis infection among females 15 to 44 years old above the federal government's Healthy People 2030 goal. The CDC has called for increased prevention measures, including encouraging sexually active women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested. The rise in congenital syphilis is tied to the surge in primary and secondary cases of syphilis in adults.
Socioeconomic factors such as lack of health insurance, transportation limitations, poverty, and inadequate maternal health and child care services have contributed to the rise of congenital syphilis and racial and ethnic gaps. Communities of color are being hit the hardest, with babies born to Black, Hispanic or American Indian/Alaska Native mothers eight times more likely to have the disease in 2021 than those born to White mothers.
The CDC has also called for rapid tests to be made available beyond doctors' offices and STD clinics. However, there is no new federal money going out to state and local health departments to bolster testing or access.
The largest share of infections was reported among Southern states, followed by Western states.
The report also found 72% of the US population lived in counties with rates of syphilis infection among females 15 to 44 years old above the federal government's Healthy People 2030 goal.
Socioeconomic factors such as lack of health insurance, transportation limitations, poverty, and inadequate maternal health and child care services have contributed to the rise of congenital syphilis and racial and ethnic gaps.
The CDC has called for increased prevention measures, including encouraging sexually active women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested.
The rise in congenital syphilis is tied to the surge in primary and secondary cases of syphilis in adults.
The CDC has also called for rapid tests to be made available beyond doctors' offices and STD clinics.
However, there is no new federal money going out to state and local health departments to bolster testing or access.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number of newborn syphilis cases has risen more than tenfold from 2012 to 2022, reaching its highest level in at least 30 years.
Communities of color are being hit the hardest, with babies born to Black, Hispanic or American Indian/Alaska Native mothers eight times more likely to have the disease in 2021 than those born to White mothers.