Syphilis is on the rise in Texas and nationally, causing serious medical complications, especially for newborn babies who contract the disease during pregnancy.
Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine visited Parkland Hospital, Dallas County’s public hospital, Thursday to discuss the rise of syphilis and what can be done to prevent its spread.
Though often thought to be a disease of the past, syphilis rates have grown consistently in the last decade. Between 2018 and 2022, syphilis cases jumped nearly 80% nationwide, while cases of congenital syphilis — or babies born with syphilis — nearly tripled, climbing 183%, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
But a decade earlier, Texas had 6.6 cases of syphilis per 100,000 people and 19.4 cases of congenital syphilis per live births, according to the CDC.
“This is a treatable bacterial illness. Almost all cases of congenital syphilis, again, which is devastating, are preventable,” Levine said. “We need, from a public health point of view both locally, statewide and federally, to be addressing this issue.”
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www.dallasnews.com/news/public-health/2024/02/23/feds-eye-texas-as-cases-of-syphilis-surge-in-newborns/