RALEIGH, N.C. (WAVY) – Syphilis cases in North Carolina are on the rise, increasing 23% from 2021 to 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported.
This report stems from this week being Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Week.
Syphilis cases among women jumped from 360 in 2019 to 837 in 2022, a 133% increase, according to preliminary data.
This increase in syphilis infections among women is also causing an increase in syphilis in babies, called congenital syphilis (CS).
“Congenital syphilis is preventable through the early detection and treatment of maternal infection during pregnancy,” said Victoria Mobley, M.D., HIV/STD Medical Director at the NCDHHS Division of Public Health.
North Carolina public health law requires healthcare providers to screen all pregnant women for syphilis during the first prenatal visit, between 28-30 weeks’ gestation and at delivery to ensure identification, treatment and prevention of congenital syphilis.
