It has been revealed the fact that syphilis and congenital syphilis are rising in the US. Check out the latest reports about this below.
Terrible diseases on the rise in the US
The rates of both syphilis and congenital syphilis have been increasing at an alarming rate over the past few decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on November 17 that there were a total of 3,761 cases of congenital syphilis in 2022, resulting in 231 stillbirths and 51 infant deaths.
“More than 10 times as many congenital syphilis cases were reported in 2022 … than in 2012,” the report authors wrote.
“I’ve seen ups and downs and syphilis cases over the years, but nothing in my lifetime compares it to what we’re going through right now,” Dr. Justin Radolf, who was not involved in the report but has over 40 years of infectious disease clinical experience, said.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that can be contracted through sexual activity. The responsible bacterium is called Treponema pallidum. In the early stages of the disease, symptoms may be mild and temporary, but if left untreated, the infection can persist for many years and lead to severe health complications.
If an infected mother passes on the disease to her baby during pregnancy, it is called congenital syphilis, which can result in stillbirth, infant death, loss of vision, and deafness if not treated promptly.
“When there is an increase in the overall percentage of individuals infected with syphilis, this increase will inevitably trickle down into the population of pregnant women, thus affecting the rate of syphilis among newborns,” Sharon Bond, a certified nurse and midwife at the Medical University of South Carolina who has published research on diagnosing syphilis, stated.
Syphilis rates in the United States have been increasing since 2001. Between 2021 and 2022, congenital syphilis cases increased by 32 percent.
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