Racial and ethnic disparities are highlighted, with babies born to Black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native mothers being up to eight times more likely to have newborn syphilis than babies born to White mothers.
The CDC attributes the increase to individual and system-level barriers to timely syphilis testing and treatment during pregnancy.
The CDC is calling for increased prevention measures, including more testing and making rapid tests available beyond doctors’ offices and STD clinics.
The CDC reports a tenfold increase in congenital syphilis cases in the U.S. over a decade.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a significant increase in congenital syphilis cases in the United States, with a tenfold increase over a decade. The report documents the rise from 2012-2022 and concludes there were many missed opportunities for prevention. The CDC attributes this to a combination of individual and system-level barriers to timely syphilis testing and treatment during pregnancy, including lack of insurance, substance use disorder, systemic racism, and limited healthcare access.
The report also highlights racial and ethnic disparities, with babies born to Black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native mothers being up to eight times more likely to have newborn syphilis than babies born to White mothers. The increase in cases indicates that syphilis is spreading unchecked in much of the country, and also evidence of a breakdown in the public health infrastructure around maternal care.
In response to the alarming increase, the CDC is calling for increased prevention measures, including encouraging women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. The CDC is also calling for rapid tests to be made available beyond doctors’ offices and STD clinics to places like emergency rooms, needle-exchange programs, and prisons. However, there is no new federal money going out to state and local health departments to bolster testing or access.
The CDC attributes this to a combination of individual and system-level barriers to timely syphilis testing and treatment during pregnancy, including lack of insurance, substance use disorder, systemic racism, and limited healthcare access.
The report also highlights racial and ethnic disparities, with babies born to Black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native mothers being up to eight times more likely to have newborn syphilis than babies born to White mothers.
The report documents the rise from 2012-2022 and concludes there were many missed opportunities for prevention.
The increase in cases indicates that syphilis is spreading unchecked in much of the country, and also evidence of a breakdown in the public health infrastructure around maternal care.
The CDC is also calling for rapid tests to be made available beyond doctors’ offices and STD clinics to places like emergency rooms, needle-exchange programs, and prisons.
However, there is no new federal money going out to state and local health departments to bolster testing or access.