Risk Reduction Specialist Francisco Facundo with the Aids Outreach Center draws blood for STI testing at Tarrant County College NE in Hurst in May 2023. Sexually transmitted infections have been increasing in Tarrant County and across the nation., to step up their efforts to test and treat for the disease, which can be easily prevented if it is caught before childbirth.
But if it’s not prevented, the consequences are dire. Left untreated, syphilis in pregnant moms can cause miscarriages, stillbirth, early infant death, or lifelong health complications in the child.that highlighted the rapid increase in congenital syphilis cases as well as the missed opportunities to test and treat pregnant women who are infected with the bacterium.
Although cases of congenital syphilis have increased in all racial and ethnic groups, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native infants are at the highest risk for syphilis.