Cases of congenital syphilis — syphilis passed from mother to baby during pregnancy — have more than doubled since 2013, according to the annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thirty-seven states, primarily in the South and West, have reported cases of congenital syphilis. In 2013, there were 362 reported cases, but the number increased to 918 in 2017 — the largest number of cases in 20 years.
David Harvey, the executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, told USA Today that the upsurge is “a systemic failure.” He added: “We are failing pregnant women in the United States. We are seeing almost 1,000 babies born with syphilis that can easily be prevented.”
If syphilis is passed to a newborn it can result in miscarriage, death, or severe lifelong physical and mental health problems.
The CDC found that 1 in 3 women who gave birth to a baby with congenital syphilis in 2016 received an STD test during pregnancy. They acquired syphilis either after they were tested or they were not treated in time to cure the infection before the birth of the baby.
The surge in congenital syphilis cases follows an overall national increase in sexually transmitted diseases among women of reproductive age. Last month, the CDC released preliminary figures showing that cases of the most common sexually transmitted diseases — syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea — has risen almost 10 percent since 2017.
The CDC recommends, in order to reduce the number of cases of congenital syphilis, that women get prenatal care, including a test for syphilis, as soon as possible after finding out about their pregnancy. They also advise women to get tested, not only at their first prenatal visit, but early in their third trimester, and right before delivery.
Being in a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested for STDs and using condoms are also advised by the CDC.
Syphilis during pregnancy can be easily cured with the right antibiotics. If it is left untreated, however, there is an 80 percent chance that it will be passed on to the child.
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