NCHHSTP Newsroom | CDC | Missed opportunities to prevent syphilis in newborns

NCHHSTP Newsroom | CDC

New CDC study shows that half of U.S. newborn syphilis cases (congenital syphilis) in 2018 occurred due to gaps in testing and treatment during prenatal care. Nationally, congenital syphilis has dramatically increased, in parallel with increases in syphilis among reproductive-age women. Key findings The analysis found that the most common missed opportunities for preventing congenital syphilis occurred when: Mothers were diagnosed but not adequately treated for syphilis (31% of cases). Mothers did not have timely prenatal care (28% of cases). Tailored prevention efforts needed to reduce cases The study also showed that prevention gaps differed by geographic region: Nearly 9 in 10 congenital syphilis cases occurred in the southern and western regions of the U.S.   In the South, lack of adequate treatment was the most commonly missed prevention opportunity (34% of cases).   In the West, lack of timely prenatal care was most common (41% of cases).  CDC continues to sound the alarm on congenital syphilis and support prevention and control efforts that will protect pregnant women and their babies from this infection. More action is needed to tackle the resurgence of syphilis and congenital syphilis. Additional media resources including graphics can be found on the NCHHSTP newsroom.