Compared to 2012, more than 10 times as many congenital syphilis cases were reported in 2022, marking a 1,022% jump in newborn syphilis cases, according to CDC data released Nov. 7.
Cases rose from 335 in 2012 to 3,761 in 2022. Nearly 90% of the cases reported in 2022 were preventable, and a majority of the cases were among patients who tested positive for syphilis during pregnancy but didn't receive adequate or timely treatment, the agency said.
Congenital syphilis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity and infant death shortly after birth. Babies born with congenital syphilis are also susceptible to deformed bones, severe anemia, brain and nerve problems, and meningitis.
Amid the dimming access to prenatal care and prevention resources for sexually transmitted disease, the CDC classified the issue as a rising epidemic.
"The congenital syphilis crisis in the United States has skyrocketed at a heartbreaking rate," Debra Houry, MD, the CDC's chief medical officer, said in a news release. "New actions are needed to prevent more family tragedies. We're calling on healthcare providers, public health systems, and communities to take additional steps to connect mothers and babies with the care they need."
Babies born to Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native mothers were up to eight times more likely to have newborn syphilis in 2021 than babies born to white mothers, according to the CDC.