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Congenital syphilis occurs when a newborn contracts disease from their mother during pregnancy. bojanstory/Getty Images
  • The CDC reports that cases of congenital syphilis have increased 10-fold in the past decade.
  • The disease occurs when a mother who has syphilis passes the bacteria to their baby during pregnancy.
  • Congenital syphilis is caused by a bacteria, called Treponema pallium, that can be transmitted from a pregnant person to their baby, even if the parent has received treatment.

Cases of congenital syphilisTrusted Source have increased significantly over the past few years.

Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source says that in 2022, there were more than 3,700 cases reported, a 10-fold increase in cases since 2012.

The disease occurs when a mother who is infected with syphilis passes the bacteria to their baby during pregnancy.

And though many mothers and babies many be asymptomatic, some will develop serious health issues, like deformed bones, severe anemia, and brain and nerve problems.

“Cases have been increasing for some years in the US and represent a failure to identify and treat syphilis cases in pregnant women — something that is done in routine prenatal care. The cases also reflect general increases in syphilis more generally as well,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security and an infectious disease expert, told Healthline in an earlier interview.

Congenital syphilis is caused by a bacteria called Treponema pallium, which can be transmitted from a pregnant person to their baby, even if the parent has received treatment.

“The rising congenital syphilis numbers [in the USA] reflect the reality of the nation’s syphilis epidemic and the growing trend of syphilis infections among women and their male sex partners,” Dr. Robert McDonaldTrusted Source, of the Division of STD Prevention, CDC, told The Lancet MicrobeTrusted Source in 2022.

A person may contractTrusted Source syphilis during sexual contact if they have direct contact with a sore related to the disease.

According to the CDCTrusted Source, pregnant people who have syphilis are at risk for significant complications including:

  • miscarriage
  • stillbirth
  • premature delivery
  • low birth weight
  • increased risk of infant death soon after birth

Infants who are born with congenital syphilis can face a range of health issues, according to the CDC. This includes:

McDonald pointed out that from 2015 to 2019, the “rates of primary and secondary syphilis increased more than 170% in reproductive-age women.”

Signs of syphilis in adults may include:

In rare cases, people can develop tertiary syphilis, where the disease affects the heart, blood vessels, and brain. This stage can happen 10 to 30 years after contracting the disease. The damage to internal organs can be fatal.

Without treatment, syphilis can reach the latent stage, where no symptoms are visible, but the disease is still present. If syphilis is untreated, it can cause major issues to other organs such as the brain, eye, and nervous system.

The disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

Congenital syphilis is easily detected and treated, but without public health services, the infection can go undetected and untreated.

The new CDC report on rising congenital syphilis rates notes the increase in cases is a reflection of health system failures. The report shows that 2 in 5 (40%) peopleTrusted Source who gave birth to a baby with syphilis did not receive prenatal care.

Other research suggests that decreased funding for sexual health services has contributed to the rise in cases.

A studyTrusted Source conducted in Chicago that evaluated more than 100 cases of congenital syphilis between 2014 and 2018 found that delayed or limited healthcare access exacerbated the incidence of congenital syphilis.

According to those findings, the majority of women with syphilis experienced social determinants of health that prevented them from easily accessing healthcare, such as experiencing homelessness or lacking health insurance.

A study from Indiana similarly found that social determinants of health, such as substance use and incarceration, contributed to congenital syphilis cases.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — including syphilis but also chlamydia and gonorrhea — have also increased significantly over the past decade.

Between 2015 and 2019, there was a nearly 30% increaseTrusted Source in syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea cases.

Infectious disease specialists also believe the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the incidence of congenital syphilis.

Many people delayed routine healthcare services like STI screenings.

“The quickest way for people to spread STIs is to not know that they have one, Casey Pinto, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, said in a 2021 press release.

“The inability to detect asymptomatic cases could have negative repercussions for years to come.”

Pinto was part of a team that published a study in 2021 that found STI screenings for men decreased by 63% and 59% for women in the early months of the pandemic.

“Reduced focus on other infectious diseases has led to a rise [in] cases,” Dr. Dawn Sokol, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with Ochsner Hospital for Children, said.

“The timing and follow-up of mother’s infection are important in determining the risk to the newborn,” Sokol said.

All pregnant people are recommended to be screened for syphilis during their first prenatal medical visit. If they test positive, their baby is then tested as well.

Many babies who contract the infection are asymptomaticTrusted Source. Some may develop a rashTrusted Source or congestion.

“When other symptoms are found they can include an enlarged liver or spleen, enlarged lymph nodes, runny nose, and jaundice,” said Sokol.

The CDC recommendsTrusted Source pregnant people be screened twice during pregnancy and once during delivery to ensure they do not have syphilis.

Babies who are diagnosed with congenital syphilis will need to undergo lab studies to see how the disease has affected their health.

Treatment options include a single injection of penicillin or a 10 course of IV therapy, according to Sokol.

In some cases, the damage may be permanent, said Adalja.

The only way to prevent congenital syphilis is to practice safe sex practicesTrusted Source and undergo routine screening, Adalja said.

Cases of congenital syphilis — a disease that occurs when a mother passes syphilis to their baby — have increased 10-fold in the past decade, according to the CDC.

Health experts believe a lack of public health measures contributed to the increased incidence of congenital syphilis.

Inadequate prenatal care and reduced funding for sexual health services, combined with the delayed health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled the spread of sexually transmitted infections.