Syphilis cases in US newborns skyrocketed in 2022. Health officials suggest more testing

This image provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, shows counties, shaded in teal, where federal officials suggest offering syphilis testing to all sexually active people between the ages of 15 and 44. The Associated Press estimated the suggestion could affect tens of millions of people, based on federal data. NEW YORK -

The rise in congenital syphilis comes despite repeated warnings by public health agencies and it's tied to the surge in primary and secondary cases of syphilis in adults, CDC officials said. It's also been increasingly difficult for medical providers to get benzathine penicillin injections - the main medical weapon against congenital syphilis - because of supply shortages.

Federal officials again advised sexually active women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for syphilis test at least once if they live in a county with high rates. According to a new CDC map and definition, 70% of U.S. adults live in a county with high rates. That's likely tens of millions of people, according to an Associated Press estimate based on federal data.

In congenital syphilis, moms pass the disease on to their babies, potentially leading to death of the child or health problems for the child like deafness, blindness, and malformed bones. Case rates have been rising across racial and ethnic groups. If syphilis is diagnosed early in a pregnancy, the threat of passing it to the baby can be removed by a single penicillin shot. But experts say the later you get into pregnancy, the more likely you'll need multiple shots, and they have to be completed at least 30 days before delivery.

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