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What is Congenital virus? Mississippi newborns at risk of contracting this life-threatening illness

A doctor wrote, 'Unbelievable that babies dying from syphilis in 2023! We need doctors, patients, insurance and public health to work together'

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: In Mississippi, the number of newborns receiving congenital syphilis treatment has increased alarmingly. In the past five years, the number of infants treated for sexually transmitted diseases has increased by more than 900%, according to hospital billing data.

The rise in cases has raised the possibility of serious harm to newborns in the state with the highest infant mortality rate in the nation, as reported by NBC. In 2016, the disease was treated in 10 newborns born in the poorest state of the United States. According to the Mississippi State Health Department, 102 newborns were treated for the condition in 2021, at least one of whom died.

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What is the Congenital virus?

Congenital virus is also known as Congenital syphilis (CS). It is a condition that develops when a pregnant woman with syphilis transmits the infection to her unborn child. A virus is the root cause of a congenital (present at birth) condition. The infection may be in the birth canal during delivery or transferred to the baby through the placenta during pregnancy, as reported by NCBI. The virus' effects are much more severe when it infects an unborn fetus or an infant. These children could have hearing loss, autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disorders, or other issues. A congenital infection could, in some cases, be fatal.

Dr Thomas Dobbs, a former state health official, tweeted the data that brought attention to the analysis. He wrote, "Unbelievable that babies dying from syphilis in 2023! We need doctors, patients, insurance (Medicaid) and public health to work together. This is a simple problem to eradicate - if we so chose. Early testing/treatment/prenatal care." Dr Dobbs is the medical director of the Jackson-based Crossroads Clinic for the Mississippi State Department of Health, which specializes in STDs.

How to prevent the infection?

Syphilis must be diagnosed in pregnant women in order to effectively prevent and detect congenital syphilis. As a result, pregnant women who live in areas with high syphilis rates, have HIV infection, or are at higher risk for syphilis acquisition should undergo routine serologic screening during the first prenatal visit, at 28 weeks' gestation, and at delivery, according to CDC.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of congenital syphilis cases nationwide has increased by more than threefold in recent years, as reported by The Guardian. A record number of cases were reported in one year since 1994 in 2020, when more than 2,000 cases were reported.

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