Northern Nevada Public Health is reporting a record number of congenital syphilis cases in Washoe County.
There have been 15 cases of congenital syphilis cases reported in the county so far this year, already exceeding the previous annual record with more than three months left in the year.
Congenital syphilis happens when a pregnant person with syphilis passes the infection to their child during pregnancy.
Syphilis can cause serious health issues but is treatable. The CDC says congenital syphilis can have major health impacts on babies, including miscarriages, stillbirths, prematurity, death shortly after birth, low birth weight and developmental delays.
It can also cause babies to have deformed bones, anemia, enlarged liver or spleen, jaundice and brain and nerve problems.
The 15 cases so far this year breaks 2022's record of 13. The total number of congenital syphilis cases from 2012 to 2018 was 14.
“It’s absolutely tragic that this preventable disease is impacting children in Washoe County. Any congenital syphilis case is considered a sentinel health event, a failure of the healthcare system,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer for NNPH. “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. Syphilis is a disease that someone can have without knowing it.”
The rise in CS cases locally is a national trend as well. The CDC reported that CS cases have more than tripled in recent years, with more than 2,000 CS cases reported nationwide in 2021.
