Recent United States government data finds that maternal syphilis rates have risen, putting thousands of infants in danger. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 10,000 2022 mothers had syphilis, up from 3,400 in 2016.
UTHealth Houston maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Irene Stafford attributed the growth in congenital syphilis to "untested and untreated mothers," highlighting the disease's harmful effects and infectiousness to the fetus, according to US News & World Report.
Untreated syphilis may cause heart, brain, vision, hearing, and paralysis damage. Transmission during pregnancy may cause miscarriage, lifelong medical complications, and newborn death.
(Photo : AltoPress/AFP via Getty Images) Man's hands on pregnant woman's stomach, close-up
While many cases of congenital syphilis could be prevented with improved testing and treatment, experts highlight the limited access to these crucial healthcare measures. Disparities were noted in maternal syphilis rates among age groups and ethnicities, with the highest rates observed in mothers under 25.
Notably, American Indian women experienced rates five times higher than average, while rates among black and Native Hawaiian women were more than double the national average. The surge extended across the country, with 40 states witnessing maternal syphilis rates more than double between 2016 and 2022. South Dakota reported a staggering case rate increase of over 400%, while Maine displayed no significant increase during the same period.
Adult Syphilis Cases Rising
AP News earlier reported an assessment on adult sexually transmitted diseases (STD) that found a 9% rise in infectious syphilis cases in 2022. Total cases went over 207,000, a 17% rise and the most since 1950.
Syphilis infections in the US decreased to their lowest by 1998 after antibiotics became widely accessible in the 1940s.
The study also examined chlamydia and gonorrhea, prevalent STDs. From 2021 to 2022, chlamydia infections stayed at 495 per 100,000, however, men and women in their early 20s saw reductions. Similarly, gonorrhea declined greatest among women in their early 20s. New gonorrhea cases experienced a noteworthy decline of 9%, a positive development after a decade of rising rates.
Gonorrhea rates dropped for unknown reasons, per experts. The decline occurred in 40 states, so whatever caused it seems to have occurred nationwide. Officials think the 2020 chlamydia prevalence dropped because the COVID-19 epidemic interrupted STD testing.
Though its prevalence is lower than chlamydia and gonorrhea, health experts consider syphilis more dangerous.
Urgent Action Needed to Address Crisis
In response to the escalating syphilis epidemic, the Biden administration initiated a federal task force in November. While the administration implemented measures such as temporarily allowing the import of an alternative syphilis medication due to a shortage of the primary treatment, concerns persist among experts about the sufficiency of these efforts.
David Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge and noted some positive signs of action. However, he expressed apprehension about the absence of indications regarding new resources or funding, raising concerns about the potential success of reducing syphilis rates, per CNN.
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