The number of babies born with syphilis is on the rise—but it’s preventable

Babies born with Syphilis they contracted in their mothers’ wombs are on the rise, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Babies who have this type, called congenital syphilis, face lots of complications, and the sad fact is that it’s very preventable. In fact, just a single course of penicillin, CNN reports, about a month before delivery, almost always prevents transmission from the mom to the baby. But not nearly every pregnant mom has prenatal care, or access to any care, that would allow for this, furthering the steady increase in issues amid the disastrous state of maternal care in the U.S.

“The congenital syphilis crisis in the United States has skyrocketed at a heartbreaking rate,” said CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H. in the report. This is because 9 in 10 cases in 2022 might have been prevented with testing and treatment. Additionally, 40% of the cases were among mothers who didn’t have prenatal care. 

The numbers are astonishing, with a 10-times increase in a decade, including a 32% increase from 2021 to 2022. Tragically, 300 of the 3700 babies who tested positive in the US in 2022 were stillborn or died, the CNN report concludes. One neonatologist in their article was pushing for ERs to test all pregnant women who came in, to help prevent the infection from spreading, noting that many times ERs don’t see that as emergency care.

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic Federal Taskforce dedicated to spearheading a national syphilis and congenital syphilis public health response. The overarching mission of this task force is to address the syndemic of syphilis and congenital syphilis, reduce their rates, promote health equity, and share resources with impacted communities,” the CDC adds. The ongoing efforts to get more moms access to prenatal care and testing, and also to curb syphilis outbreaks, could make a difference and reverse the numbers continuing to trend higher.