CDC: Congenital syphilis on the rise in newborns
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say newborn syphilis cases are soaring.
"I'm actually really glad that people are starting to pay attention to this," says Michigan's chief medical executive Natasha Bagdasarian. She says she's been looking to raise awareness about it for quite some time now.
The CDC reports a surge of newborn syphilis cases across the country over the past decade, with 3,761 reported in 2022 compared to 335 in 2012.
"What we started seeing around 2016, 2017 is a change in the epidemiology of syphilis. So, a change in who it was impacting and we started seeing more cases is young heterosexual adults and in women of childbearing age," says Bagdasarian.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources says 37 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2022, a 164% increase since 2017.
The CDC adds syphilis during pregnancy can cause lifelong issues to a newborn. Even miscarriages, stillbirths, or death.
"Obviously concerned about the moms, concerned about the children," says Claudia Richardson, the medical director of the Detroit Health Department. She says it's about testing and raising awareness, as congenital syphilis is preventable.
"Timely diagnosis of syphilis. You know, if a mom has that and treatment is what can get us out of this mess," says Richardson.
"The best treatment for syphilis in pregnant women is something called Bicillin, which is a form of Penicillin. It's a drug that is exceedingly effective and has been around for many many years," says Bagdasarian.
