MONDAY, Nov. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) — In 2022, there were 3,761 cases of congenital syphilis, including 231 still births and 51 infant deaths, with lack of timely testing and adequate treatment during pregnancy contributing to most cases, according to a Vital Signs report published in the Nov. 7 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Robert McDonald, M.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used a cascading framework to identify and classify missed opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis among cases reported to the CDC in 2022. The authors reviewed data on testing and treatment during pregnancy and clinical manifestations present in the newborn to further identify missed opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis.

The researchers identified 3,761 cases of congenital syphilis that were reported to the CDC in 2022, including 231 and 51 still births and infant deaths (6 and 1 percent, respectively). In 88 percent of cases of congenital syphilis, lack of timely testing and adequate treatment during pregnancy contributed. Across all races, ethnicities, and U.S. Census Bureau regions, testing and treatment gaps were present in the majority of cases.

“Congenital syphilis rates are rapidly increasing in the United States and are at the highest level in at least 30 years,” the authors write. “Addressing patient and system-level barriers to accessing testing, treatment, and care could help prevent congenital syphilis.”

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