The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this week that congenital syphilis (CS) is on the rise, with 2014 seeing the most babies born with CS in the past decade.
While the CDC report indicates that the number of CS cases declined in the US from 2008 to 2012—from 446 cases 334—the number of cases climbed again to 458 in 2014, which represents an increase from 8.4 to 11.6 cases per 100,000 live births.
Congenital syphilis (CS) is a disease that occurs when a mother infected with syphilis—a sexually transmitted infection—passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy.
The infection can cause miscarriage, and other serious pregnancy complications.
“Up to 40% of babies born to women with untreated syphilis may be stillborn, or die from the infection as a newborn,” says the CDC.
And the babies that don’t succumb to the infection early on can suffer from a host of other problems, including deformed bones, anemia, enlarged liver and spleen, jaundice, nerve problems, meningitis, and skin rashes.
The CDC report shows that the rising number of CS cases is directly proportional to the number of women infected with the disease, which has also risen in the past few years.
The chart below shows the rate of congenital syphilis among infants aged <1 year and the rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis among women in the United States from 2008-2014
Source: CDC
Testing and prenatal care are key to stopping CS
In an article outlining the study’s finding, The Verge indicates that one-fifth of women who passed syphilis on to their fetus did not receive prenatal care.
The CDC report points to proper care, and early testing and detection of maternal syphilis as the key to preventing future cases of CS.
“Women who are pregnant are supposed to get tested for syphilis at least once. And the treatment that can help women recover from the disease can also be used to ensure that kids are born healthy,” writes Arielle Duhaime-Ross for The Verge.
Rising rates of CS driving demand for early, accessible diagnosis
A new report from Technavio also indicates that renewed focus on rapid and early diagnosis will be a vital piece in treating syphilis and preventing its spread.
According to the new report, the global syphilis testing market is expected to reach a value of $1,163.1 million by 2019, growing at a cumulative average growth rate of 4.71% from 2014-2019.
The increased incidences of syphilis in the US was one of the key factors driving both awareness campaigns and development of new tests for the disease.
