Congenital syphilis is on the rise in South Florida, Florida Department of Health (DOH) announced Thursday.
In Broward and Miami-Dade counties there were 21 cases in 2012 – up from 17 cases in 2011. Babies acquire congenital syphilis when the mother has syphilis and the disease is transferred to the baby prior to birth.
“It is unacceptable for even one baby to be born with this terrible disease,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health, Dr. John Armstrong. “We are engaging stakeholders and implementing a comprehensive strategy to inform the public and expand public health services to protect the health of every newborn.”
Broward County faces the greatest current challenge, with 15 cases of congenital syphilis reported in 2012.
In order to stem the increase in congenital syphilis, the Health Department plans to double the number of Disease Intervention Specialists who can provide direct communication with individuals who have been diagnosed with or who have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease in order to ensure testing and treatment. For women who test positive for syphilis, who are pregnant or become pregnant, treatment services are available that can help prevent transmission of syphilis to the baby.
The Health Department is also educating the public and visiting prenatal care providers and labor and delivery sites in the county to review screening and testing protocols with medical staff.
In 1990, Broward had 103 babies born with congenital syphilis.
For more information, individuals are encouraged to contact DOH-Broward at (954)467-4700 ext. 3311. All county offices for the Florida Department of Health can be located here. For more information about congenital syphilis, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/std/pregnancy/STDFact-Pregnancy.htm.
