Connections (February-March 2024)

From the Director – Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH

Syphilis and congenital syphilis rates have reached historic highs, with over 200,000 cases of syphilis in adults and adolescents and 3,755 cases of congenital syphilis in 2022. These numbers highlight the health system failures and missed opportunities for preventing congenital syphilis reported in CDC’s Vital Signs late last year.

Syphilis can cause serious medical complications, including neurological, ocular, and cardiovascular problems.  Congenital syphilis infection can cause stillbirth and long-term physical and cognitive impairment.  Yet, syphilis is preventable, and thousands of infections have been averted through health communications, DIS follow-up, and providing testing and treatment, including for pregnant persons. But, for many, the healthcare system can pose challenges, both individual- and at the system-level. By improving access to syphilis testing and treatment for everyone, we can prevent syphilis in adults and babies. Our boots on the ground public health workforce, clinicians, and community partners are critical to helping us meet people where they are with easy to follow, realistic information and services to prevent what otherwise could be a missed prevention opportunity. CDC has a new resource,  Syphilis Prenatal Screening (Protect Your Baby) (cdc.gov), that is digitally accessible and provides materials that can be handed out or left behind in an office or the field.

The congenital syphilis epidemic is an untenable crisis. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking action through the establishment of the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic (NSCSS) Federal Task Force. We can also work within doctors offices and STI clinics, and beyond them to bridge prevention gaps. Every encounter a healthcare provider has with a patient during pregnancy is an opportunity to prevent congenital syphilis.