Health Officials Urge Pregnant Women to Test for Syphilis Amid Rising Newborn Cases

Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra BogenCredit: Commonwealth Media Services

PENNSYLVANIA — State and local health department leaders, in a news conference held at the Wilkes-Barre Health Department yesterday, urged pregnant women to seek prenatal care and get tested for syphilis. The call comes as cases of newborn syphilis increase across the country to near record-high levels.

Newborn, or congenital, syphilis occurs when a pregnant woman with syphilis passes the infection onto her baby during pregnancy. It can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births, low birth weight, or death shortly after birth.

Wilkes-Barre City Health Director Henry Radulski, Associate Director of Personal Health Kady McGlynn, and Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen were among the speakers at the conference.

Acting Secretary Bogen stressed that newborn syphilis is preventable with appropriate prenatal care, testing, and treatment. She revealed that the Department of Health is focusing on educational outreach to remind healthcare professionals about the importance of syphilis testing, especially during pregnancy.

The Department of Health sent letters to more than 600 physicians in Luzerne County and issued a Health Alert Network advisory earlier this year to raise awareness about syphilis testing and treatment recommendations for pregnant women.

According to a recent CDC report, nearly 90% of newborn syphilis cases in the U.S. in 2022 were due to a lack of timely testing and adequate treatment.

In 2023, the Department of Health confirmed 31 infants with newborn syphilis from 16 Pennsylvania counties across the state. This follows 39 confirmed cases in 2022, the highest number since 1990.

The Department noted a substantial increase in early syphilis cases among women of childbearing age over the past decade, from 98 cases statewide in 2010 to 587 cases in 2022. Hence, it’s crucial for all people, not just pregnant women, to get tested.

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The Department recommends that healthcare providers follow CDC guidance to screen all pregnant women for syphilis at the first prenatal visit, during the third trimester, and at delivery. Information on free and confidential testing and treatment is available from the Department of Health, and healthcare providers needing additional information are asked to call the Department’s Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) program.

Additional information about newborn syphilis and pregnancy and the importance of testing and treating the disease can be found at Syphilis and Pregnancy; information about syphilis in general can be found on this page.

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