PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its health recommendations in an effort to stop the growing number of newborn syphilis cases in the U.S.
Researchers call the skyrocketing number of congenital syphilis cases a crisis. New data shows more than 3,700 babies were born with syphilis in 2022 — more than 10 times the number in 2012.
Newborn syphilis occurs when mothers don’t receive timely testing and treatment during pregnancy. According to the CDC’s data in 2022, more than half of the cases were among people who tested positive during pregnancy but did not receive timely treatment. About 9 in 10 cases of newborn syphilis might have been prevented with timely treatment, the CDC said, and nearly 40% of cases were among mothers who were not in prenatal care.
Dr. Delana Wardlaw, a family physician with Temple Health, called the crisis heartbreaking, as syphilis is easily preventable, easily detected and easily treated.
“Due to the social determinants of health — the lack of access to care, lack of follow-up — people are not getting tested in a timely manner,” she said.
According to the CDC, individual-level barriers to care may include a lack of insurance or substance use disorders. System-level barriers may include systemic racism and limited health care access.
“We have to make sure, one, that people have access to care, which is a systemic issue; and two, make sure that we are doing the proper screenings because syphilis screening is a recommended screening for all pregnant women,” Wardlaw added.
Syphilis usually presents as a lesion on the genitals, but Wardlaw said it can also present as a rash in other areas, like the palms of one’s hands or the soles of one’s feet.
Syphilis during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, infant death, and lifelong medical issues.
“They can have low birth weight, issues with their eyes, develop cataracts, they can develop seizures. And worst-case scenario is that they can die,” Wardlaw said.
Expectant mothers can be easily treated with little to no risk to the fetus. Physicians are being asked to be vigilant and work with local community health workers to overcome these barriers to care.
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