NewsDesk @bactiman63
The Chicago Department of Public Health reports that in 2020, congenital syphilis cases in newborns increased by 137 percent (from 8 to 19 cases).
Going hand-in-hand, the number of reported primary and secondary syphilis cases among Chicago women increased by 56 percent (from 88 to 137).
Congenital syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection passed from mother to child during pregnancy. Infants born with syphilis can have lifelong complications including skeletal and facial deformities, deafness and blindness. Up to 40 percent are stillborn or die soon after birth. Not all babies have symptoms at birth. Babies who do not get treatment for congenital syphilis and develop symptoms later can die from the infection, be developmentally delayed, or have seizures.
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Instead of simply counting cases, why not tell us what Chicago is doing to prevent congenital syphilis?