Congenital syphilis (CS) is caused when a mother with syphilis (caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum) transmits the infection to the baby during pregnancy and/or delivery. CS can have many harmful affects on a baby including premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects, blindness, and hearing loss. The CDC also highlights that babies born with CS can also suffer from severe anemia, deformed bones, or jaundice. According to the Philadelphia County Medial Society, pencillin G benzathine is the only efficient therapy for treating syphilis during pregnancy. This is unfortunate for women with an allergy to penicillin (like me). If a woman with syphilis reports a penicillin allergy, she has to be desensitized and still treated with this antibiotic.
Increased Prevalence of CS
Recently within the past few years, the prevalence of CS has dramatically increased. In 2018 in Pennsylvania, a total of 6 cases of CS were reported in the state which is the highest number of cases in 24 years. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) also highlights how the number of women with syphilis of the child bearing age (15-44) increased 47% from 87 cases in 2017 to 128 cases in 2018. The 128 cases are the highest reported in two decades. This is also seen in other states across the United States, including California who reported 283 cases of CS in 2017 which is a 750% increase since 2012. The sharp increase of CS can be attributed to lack of protection during sexual intercourse and lack of prenatal screening which disallows early detection of syphilis.
Being that we live in 2019, I find it very surprising that CS rates are dramatically increasing with the available means for protection and resources to get tested that are out there. I personally believe that all women no matter what beliefs should by law have to go through prenatal screening. I have personally witnessed the effects of poor decision making by mothers has had on an infant’s life and they have no control over it. If a woman objects to the test, then it needs to be the priority to explain to her the importance of making sure her baby is healthy. There are numerous free clinics for women without insurance that perform such tests and provide women with the help and resources they need to raise their baby safely. My only hope is that over the next decade, these rates decrease.
Vaccine Culture 