PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania health officials are working to reduce the number of infants with newborn syphilis as cases rise across the country.
According to the Department of Health, 2023 marks the second-highest number of infants with newborn syphilis since 1990, with 31 confirmed cases in 16 counties across the state. The highest year was in 2022 when 39 infants reportedly had the disease.
Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, is preventable. According to the CDC, lack of timely testing and inadequate treatment contributed to almost 90% of infants with newborn syphilis in the U.S. last year.
The increase in these cases, the CDC says, can be attributed to “rising syphilis cases among women of reproductive age combined with social and economic factors that create barriers to high-quality prenatal care and ongoing declines in the prevention infrastructure and resources.”
It’s for reasons like that that Pennsylvania Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen says they encourage all health care providers to emphasize the importance of testing for syphilis, as well as for STDs and HIV, to their patients, especially women of childbearing age.
She says testing is recommended in three stages of pregnancy: At the first prenatal visit, in the third trimester, and at delivery.
Untreated syphilis in pregnancy can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, early delivery, and a host of health problems. For a list of locations with free testing and treatment, click here.