San Diego County health officials are urging pregnant individuals to undergo syphilis screenings amid a worrying rise in cases of babies born with the infection. A fresh set of data from the county's public health authorities shows a stark increase, with a record of 35 infants affected in 2022, up from 30 the previous year.

According to County News Center, congenital syphilis—a bacterial infection passed from a birthing parent to a baby during pregnancy—can lead to severe complications including miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. The alarming 1,200 percent spike in such cases since 2013 underscores an urgent public health concern.

Concurrently, the prevalence of syphilis among women of childbearing age, specifically those aged 15 to 49, has experienced an uptick from 369 cases in 2021 to 424 in 2022. County Public Health Officer Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., emphasized the critical nature of testing, "You can protect your baby by getting tested during your first prenatal visit to your doctor and during your third trimester visit, and then getting treatment during your pregnancy if you do have syphilis," she said in a statement obtained by County News Center.

The stealthy nature of the syphilis infection, often presenting with mild symptoms or mimicking other health conditions, exacerbates the risk as carriers may unknowingly transmit the disease. Treatment, fortunately, is available with antibiotics safe for use during pregnancy, offering a pathway to prevent unintended transmissions to babies. Sexual partners of individuals with syphilis are also encouraged to receive testing and treatment for the cycle of reinfection to be broken and protect expectant mothers.

Babies suffering from syphilis are at risk of grave health issues, including profound anemia, deformities in bones, and neurological complications like blindness or deafness. In response to this troubling trend, county public health centers continue to offer resources for syphilis and other STD screenings to the community.