Past five years, the number of infants in Mississippi receiving treatment for congenital syphilis
Over the course of the past five years, the number of infants in Mississippi receiving treatment for congenital syphilis has increased by more than 900%, reversing the progress that the nation's poorest state had made in nearly eradicating what experts believe is a public health crisis that could have been avoided. In a state that already has the highest infant mortality rate in the nation, the increase in cases has increased the risk of life-threatening injuries to newborns.
According to an analysis of hospital billing data shared by Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the medical director for the Mississippi State Department of Health's Crossroads Clinic in Jackson, which focuses on sexually transmitted infections, 102 newborns in Mississippi were treated for the disease in 2021, up from 10 in 2016. Dobbs, who was the state's former health officer, stated that he has spoken with health care providers who are "absolutely horrified" that babies are being born with the disease and, in rare instances
Dobbs, who is also the dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, stated, "This seems like something that should have happened a hundred years ago, not last year." It really comes as a shock.
Congenital syphilis deaths are not officially tracked by the Mississippi State Department of Health, but at least one baby died in 2021, it was reported.
When the infection is passed from a pregnant woman to her child, congenital syphilis occurs. A pregnant woman who has syphilis has an 80 percent chance of passing it on to her baby if it is not treated. Although syphilis-infected infants may not initially exhibit symptoms, severe complications can occur if they are not treated within three months of birth. A baby's organs can be harmed by syphilis. A child's vision and hearing can be affected by the disease, which can also damage the nervous system. Newborns pass away in the worst cases.
The numbers that Dobbs shared for 2021 are the most recent indication of a growing problem with congenital syphilis nationwide and in Mississippi. According to preliminary information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of cases in the United States has more than doubled, rising from 941 in 2017 to at least 2,677 in 2021.
According to Dr. Paul Byers, the state's epidemiologist, the resurgence also demonstrates how the state's racial disparities can be present from the first day of life. Although the Department of Health in Mississippi has not released its final numbers for 2021, which are based on clinicians reporting cases directly to the state, the preliminary numbers mirror the increase that Dobbs found based on insurance billing codes. The resurgence also demonstrates how the state's racial disparities Despite accounting for approximately 42% of the state's live births that year, Black newborns accounted for 70% of the state's congenital syphilis cases in 2020. In a statement, Byers predicted that the state's final data for 2021 would show similar disparities.
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