Syphilis in babies, easily prevented, up sharply
The number of babies born with syphilis has surged 154 percent since
2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a trend that medical professionals said shows the need to be vigilant about testing and treating the potentially deadly disease.
The number of babies born with syphilis rose from 362 in 2013 to 918 in
2017, the CDC reported Tuesday. Cases of congenital syphilis occurred in 37 states, mostly in the South and West.
If passed to a fetus, syphilis can cause miscarriage or stillbirth or death of newborns. Among survivors, it can lead to physical and mental health problems for the baby.
The disease can be cured with antibiotics, but pregnant women with untreated syphilis face a significant risk of passing the infection to their newborn.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the surge “a systemic failure.”
“We are failing pregnant women in the United States,” he said. “We are seeing almost 1,000 babies born with syphilis that can easily be prevented.”
Harvey said the USA has virtually eradicated HIV transmission from mothers to newborns, in part through the federal Ryan White Part D program, which funds community programs that provide care to pregnant women with HIV. His organization wants a similar program to prevent the mother-to-newborn transmission of syphilis.
Harvey said pregnant women should be tested for syphilis as early as possible and throughout their pregnancies.
According to the CDC, mothers of one in three babies born with syphilis in
2016 were tested during pregnancy. However, those moms either were infected after getting tested or did not get treated in time to prevent passing the infection to the baby.
Last month, preliminary figures reported by the CDC showed new cases of the most common treatable sexually transmitted diseases – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – spiked nearly
10 percent in 2017 to an all-time high. These infectious diseases have continued a four-year climb; experts cited changing sexual behavior and a lack of awareness.