Because congenital syphilis has increased tenfold in the United States over the past decade, and Montgomery County has the fifth highest rate of syphilis among women of childbearing age in Ohio, public health officials are asking women to regularly We are calling on people to get tested.
More than 3,700 infants will be born with syphilis in the United States in 2022, an increase of more than 10 times compared to 335 in 2012, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control.
“Congenital syphilis case numbers are at the highest levels nationally in at least the past 30 years,” said Dr. Becky Thomas, medical director of the Dayton-Montgomery County Department of Public Health.
A total of 3,761 congenital syphilis cases were reported to CDC in the United States in 2022, including 231 stillbirths (6%) and 51 infant deaths (1%).
Local doctors report a steady increase in the number of infants being admitted to hospital with congenital syphilis.
“In the three-plus years I’ve been here, I’ve seen a gradual increase in the number of infants with congenital syphilis admitted to Dayton Children’s Hospital each year,” said Dr. Dr. Michael Clatte said. Dayton Children.
Kratte said the increase doesn’t come as a surprise to him.
“Dayton’s Montgomery County has the fifth highest rate of primary and secondary syphilis among women of childbearing age among all 88 counties in Ohio,” Klatte said.
The increase in congenital syphilis parallels an increase in syphilis cases among women of childbearing age, Thomas said.
“Montgomery County has been identified by the CDC to be in the top third of counties in the nation for syphilis prevalence among women of childbearing age, and each county is seeing an increase in syphilis cases.” 2018 It’s been a year since then,” Thomas said.
The five-year average of syphilis cases among women ages 14 to 45 in Montgomery County from 2018 to 2022 is 56, according to the Department of Public Health. There have been 83 syphilis cases so far in 2023.
In 2021, the incidence of primary and secondary syphilis among women ages 15 to 44 in Montgomery County was 28.7 per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.
“Recent research from the CDC shows that when it comes to congenital syphilis, some women do not receive prenatal care before birth and do not receive testing and treatment in time to prevent congenital syphilis. ” Thomas said. According to the researchers, these factors contributed to 88% of congenital syphilis cases.
In most cases, completing antibiotics 30 days before birth can prevent the development of congenital syphilis, Thomas said.
Congenital syphilis can increase the risk of stillbirth by 5% to more than 45%, Klatte said.
About half of infants born with congenital syphilis have an abnormally low birth weight, which can cause additional health problems for the infant.
Kratte said the risk of death for babies born with congenital syphilis is low.
“Timely recognition of cases of congenital syphilis is important,” says Dr. Kratte.
If a baby infected with congenital syphilis is not detected early in life or within the first few months of life, there is a risk of developmental delays, hearing loss, abnormal bone and tooth growth and development, and in rare cases, blindness, he said. said.
All infants with proven congenital syphilis must be treated in the hospital with a 10-day course of intravenous penicillin, Klatte said.
Infants also undergo additional tests, such as various imaging tests and X-rays, to monitor their condition. If treated within the first few months of life, the risk of long-term problems and bone problems is lower, Klatte said.
Kratte said there are many socioeconomic factors that prevent women from being tested and followed up by health care providers, so doctors and the CDC are working to ensure that mothers receive timely testing and treatment and that they meet with their mothers when appropriate. It is said to be encouraged.
“Syphilis has been gradually increasing since 2009 and as time has gone on, we now have this epidemic,” said Dominic Ayers, disease intervention supervisor at the Public Health Service.
In the early 2000s, public health was experiencing approximately seven syphilis cases per year.
“Every day we can assign seven or more cases for follow-up, and that’s every day, so we’ve changed a lot,” Ayers said. “I don’t think there’s enough education.”
She says syphilis can mimic other diseases and can be misdiagnosed. She has also seen misdiagnoses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a bacterial disease spread through the bite of infected ticks, as well as other cases misdiagnosed as HSV or genital herpes.
“There are symptoms that can mimic or mirror other infections,” Ayers said.
Ayers said the Department of Public Health is encouraging health care providers to test all patients for syphilis, especially if the patient is sexually active. Healthcare providers are encouraged to test for syphilis as part of annual screening, even if patients are not at high risk of contracting syphilis.
Pregnant women should also be tested for syphilis, and public health officials recommend getting tested one or two more times during pregnancy.
For additional resources, please visit: stifacts.org.
In terms of numbers
A total of 3,761 congenital syphilis cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control in the United States in 2022, including 231 stillbirths (6%) and 51 infant deaths (1%).
It was revealed that there were 335 cases of congenital syphilis in 2012, a tenfold increase over the past decade.
Nearly nine in 10 cases of neonatal syphilis in 2022 could have been prevented with timely testing and treatment during pregnancy.
More than half were people who tested positive for syphilis during pregnancy but did not receive appropriate or timely treatment.
Nearly 40% were mothers who did not receive prenatal care.
In 2021, more than 70% of the U.S. population will county The prevalence of syphilis is thought to be higher in women of reproductive age.
