The number of infants infected with syphilis has increased more than elevenfold in the United States. How can they get this STD?
- In the United States, cases of syphilis in infants have increased more than tenfold over the past ten years.
- Babies are at risk of infection when their mother has the disease and is not treated.
- To reduce it, it is necessary to screen pregnant women for syphilis.
Syphilis is affecting more and more young children in the United States. According to a report According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American health authorities, more than 3,700 babies will be born with the disease in 2022, compared to 335 in 2012.The number of infants born with syphilis in the United States is increasing at an alarming level., indicates the press release. If for these experts, these figures reflect a failure of the American health system, it is possible to reverse the trend. This requires better care for pregnant women.
How can infants get syphilis?
In fact, the mother can transmit the disease to her child during pregnancy. This sexually transmitted infection is caused by a bacteria called treponema palea. “The transplacental passage of bacteria is possible from the 11th week of amenorrhea (SA) and some from 16 weeks then throughout pregnancy.warnsHealth Insurance. This transmission can also take place during childbirth through contact with infected maternal secretions..” The organization estimates that in the case of early syphilis (less than one year of infection) in the mother, the risk of mother-to-child transmission is approximately 70%. In the case of late syphilis, i.e. more than one year of infection, the risk is 10%.
What are the consequences of syphilis in infants?
Syphilis poses many dangers to pregnant women. Illness increases risk of death in utero or shortly after birth. It is also associated with a higher risk of prematurity and low birth weight. Finally, Health Insurance emphasizes that syphilis is associated with a risk of congenital infection, but this can lead to serious after-effects including malformations, vision problems or deafness. In the United States, the CDC has recorded 231 stillbirths and 51 infant deaths in 2022 linked to syphilis. The term stillbirth refers to the death of a baby after 28 weeks of pregnancy, before or during delivery.
Syphilis: how to prevent contamination of infants?
In France, cases of syphilis in infants are rare because the disease is detected in pregnant women. “Thanks to early detection and, if necessary, treatment before 16 weeks of amenorrhea, the risk of congenital infection becomes practically zero.”, indicates Health Insurance. Across the Atlantic, the CDC deplores a lack of use of tests and treatments among pregnant women. “Testing for and treating syphilis during pregnancy, more than 30 days before delivery, can prevent infection in infants.”, insist these specialists. In most cases, doctors treat syphilis with antibiotic treatment, benzathine penicillin G. According to’World Health Organization, seven out of 1,000 pregnant women suffered from syphilis in 2016.
