Congenital syphilis cases climbing in Texas, even though the disease is preventable
Texas continues to lead the nation in new cases of congenital syphilis, a devastating but completely preventable disease, according to new data reflecting a nationwide increase in sexually transmitted infections.
Texas reported 561 cases of congenital syphilis in 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest STD surveillance report. The report, which was published Tuesday, showed that despite an initial dip in diagnoses in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, STIs are continuing their yearslong increase.
Congenital syphilis is a particularly frustrating infection both because it is so deadly and because it can be prevented if the pregnant person with syphilis is diagnosed and treated early. Left untreated in a pregnant person, syphilis can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and early infant death. Of the newborns who do survive, untreated syphilis can cause a number of health issues, including meningitis and other brain infections, blindness and deafness, and more.
Texas reported more cases of congenital syphilis than any other state, according to the CDC’s report. Texas ranked third in the nation for its rate of congenital syphilis, which is the number of cases diagnosed per 100,000 live births. Texas’ rate of 149 cases per 100,000 live births put it just behind New Mexico and Arizona. (Previously, Texas led the nation in both new cases and the rate of congenital syphilis.)
Preliminary data from the Texas health department show that 32 cases of congenital syphilis were diagnosed in Tarrant County in 2020. In February, the county’s public health department was awarded a small grant to better diagnose and treat pregnant people with syphilis.
Like other infections, congenital syphilis is on the rise after public health officials previously hoped the disease was close to being eliminated in the U.S. In 2011, there were 26 cases of the disease per 100,000 live births in Texas, meaning that the rate has increased more than five-fold in the last decade alone.
Sexually transmitted diseases disproportionately affect people who do not have access to regular health care to get regularly tested and treated for new infections.
“Social and economic factors — such as poverty and health insurance status — create barriers, increase health risks, and often result in worse health outcomes for some people” with STDs, said Dr. Leandro Mena, director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, in a press call Tuesday. “If we are to make lasting progress against STDs in this country, we have to understand the systems that create inequities and work with partners to change them. No one can be left behind.”
The most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States is the human papillomavirus. HPV was not included in the CDC’s report because health care workers are not required to report new cases of HPV infection to the CDC. Most people exposed to HPV will not experience any symptoms or health effects. But for some, HPV can cause genital warts or multiple different cancers. Less than half of Texas teenagers are vaccinated against HPV as recommended by pediatricians, according to state data.
