The number of babies hospitalized with syphilis has spiked in Mississippi, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday.
The rate increased by 1,000% between 2016-2022, with 10 infants hospitalized in the state in 2016 and 110 in 2022, researchers found. Nationwide, cases jumped 75% from 2017-2021 according to the CDC.
Using Mississippi hospital discharge data, the study showed that out of the 367 infants hospitalized with congenital syphilis in that six year time span, about 97% were newborn babies and 71% were African American. Syphilis cases among women of reproductive age have also increased, leading to the increase in congenital syphilis cases.
Newborns with congenital syphilis have gotten the infection from their mother, and are more likely to be born prematurely or have a very low birth weight. When an infected mother has not been treated, congenital syphilis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or birth defects like deformed bones, enlarged liver and spleen, and blindness or deafness. In some cases, the baby dies shortly after birth, the CDC reports.
Researchers identified 6 infant deaths associated with a congenital syphilis diagnosis in Mississippi during the examined time span. Half of those deaths occurred in 2022, showing a “rapidly escalating reemergent public health menace and urgent need for public health interventions,” they wrote.
Infected newborns can be treated with penicillin for 10 to 14 days. It does not reverse any damage that has been done, but it can prevent further health issues from developing. The best way to prevent illness in newborns is to treat the mother prior to birth, and the study recommends the state do more to diagnose and treat pregnant patients with syphilis.
The increase in infant syphilis cases caused longer hospital stays, from a mean of 3.8 days to 14.5 days, researchers found. This results in higher costs as well, from a mean of $13,945 to $56,802. Out of the infants and mothers with syphilis, 93% were on Medicaid.
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