ATLANTA — A syphilis surge is leading to changes in care for pregnant moms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, syphilis cases among pregnant moms more than tripled in recent years.
In 2016, around 87 cases were reported per 100,000 births, but that number jumped to 280 by 2022.
The numbers are even more staggering for newborns. Across the country, congenital syphilis cases spiked 755% from 2012 to 2021, according to the CDC data.
11Alive Medical Expert Dr. Sujatha Reddy said the infection can be deadly for children.
“It can lead to preterm delivery, early in pregnancy miscarriage. If a baby is born with syphilis we will sometimes see blindness, blood problems. You can see bone disorders. So a lot of things can happen to a child,” said Reddy.
Just this week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new guidance recommending pregnant women be tested at least three times for the sexually transmitted infection.
The previous guidance was to test only high-risk women once during pregnancy.
Reddy said testing pregnant moms in Georgia is already done several times, but this recommendation from the governing body of OB-GYNs will change the standard of care and impact moms and babies all across the country.
“We were already testing three times during pregnancy in Georgia, other states weren’t. But when ACOG makes a recommendation all states should follow suit and increase how often they test pregnant women for syphilis," she said. "By doing that you’re going to hopefully decrease the number of babies that are born with syphilis because it can have lifelong complications.”
Reddy said many women aren’t aware they have syphilis because symptoms don’t always appear for everyone.