BSIP/GettyNew data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of babies born with syphilis has risen by 10 times in the U.S. over the past decade. On Tuesday, the CDC reported that at least 3,700 newborns had congenital syphilis in 2022, a 32 percent increase from 2021, and 282 stillbirths and infant deaths occurred because of the bacterial infection, nearly 16 times more than the number of deaths in 2012. Babies can develop bone malformations, blindness, deafness,
“We must start thinking outside of the OB/GYN office.” Officials released a call to action to slow the spread of syphilis, which can be fatal to infants.