MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Across the US, doctors are seeing a sharp increase in the number of babies being born with congenital syphilis and North Carolina doctors say they’re seeing that same trend.
“We thought we were getting rid of syphilis and now, numbers have been rising substantially, especially in women of childbearing age,” Dr. Amina Ahmed with Atrium Health said.
According to health officials, in 2022 North Carolina had a little over 4,000 cases of syphilis compared to 564 cases in 2018.
In 2022, 824 of those cases were in Mecklenburg County alone.
Doctors say that, although all expecting mothers should get tested, this is affecting women of color at a higher rate and if left untreated, the consequences can be devastating.
“One of the most devastating things that can happen is stillbirth,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed said other problematic outcomes include prematurity or babies having problems with their bones, joints, and teeth. Meningitis is also a possible side effect, which can affect the brain, hearing, or vision.
However, health officials said there is a way to catch and fix this.
“In pregnancy, the only known effective treatment option is penicillin," Dr. Rebecca Pierce-Williams with Atrium Health said. "You could also get the post-exposure treatment if the patient has been exposed. But the treatment is still penicillin."
Dr. Ahmed also noted “For babies, the treatment is also penicillin. But we give it intravenously and you have it give it for at least 10 days.”
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.