Northern Nevada Public Health officials said this week the number of babies born this year in Washoe County with syphilis has already topped last year’s record-breaking total, with three months yet to go until the year’s end.
Health officials reported 15 cases of congenital syphilis (CS) in 2023. Last year’s total was 13 cases, one less than the previous seven years combined. Nevada last year topped the list of states nationwide with the most syphilis cases.
CS occurs when a pregnant person with syphilis passes the infection to their baby during pregnancy. The sexually transmitted disease is treatable with antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can cause serious health issues, especially in babies.
“It’s absolutely tragic that this preventable disease is impacting children in Washoe County,” Kevin Dick, district health officer for NNPH, said. “Any congenital syphilis case is considered a sentinel health event, a failure of the healthcare system. These children face an uncertain future with possible life-altering health issues, so it’s important that people who are pregnant get tested during the first and third trimesters, at any touchpoint with the healthcare system.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that babies born with CS can be born early, have low birth weight and developmental delays, or could die shortly after birth. Some babies with CS will be miscarried or delivered stillborn. Babies born with CS can also have deformed bones, anemia, enlarged liver or spleen, jaundice, and brain or nerve problems.
Washoe County’s rise in CS coincides with a national increase. CDC officials say CS cases have tripled over the past several years.
Aside from pregnant people transmitting the infection to their babies, syphilis is spread through direct contact with a syphilis sore during sex.
Dick said syphilis is a disease that someone can have without knowing it, but symptoms include one or more sores on the genitals, lips or mouth followed by a skin rash. Other symptoms may follow. The CDC has a complete list here: https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.htm.
Source: NNPH
