Provisional data from the state department of health suggests the number of syphilis cases of all stages fell last year in Mississippi. State health officer Dr. Dan Edney says the levels of the disease in the state remain concerning.
Congenital syphilis occurs when syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, is passed on to a baby during pregnancy or birth. Pregnant people receiving prenatal care are routinely screened for syphilis and can receive shots of penicillin to treat the disease.
Shamira Muhammad
Recent data shows slight improvement in Mississippi’s syphilis rates but deep concerns linger
There were 132 cases of congenital syphilis in Mississippi for all of 2023. Last year, there was only slight improvement, with 114 cases recorded.
“I'm really pleased that our syphilis rates have made a downturn in 2024 and are forecasting improvement further in 2025, including our congenital syphilis cases,” Dr. Edney said. “It's ridiculous that we're having to fight congenital syphilis, but we are. We had it eradicated in the 1990s, but we're getting our arms back around it. It's why funding public health is so important.”
Mississippi recently declared an infant mortality crisis. The state’s top doctor says although syphilis is not considered to be an epidemic in the state, the levels of congenital syphilis are not reassuring.
“At this point, any preventable death of an infant is a tragedy, obviously, but it also drives our excess mortality unnecessarily,” Dr. Edney said. “Congenital syphilis is absolutely preventable and unnecessary.”
Mississippi previously ranked third in the country for rates of syphilis of all stages, surpassed only by South Dakota and New Mexico. The state has now surpassed the rates recorded in both states.
“We have hot spots in the state where it's a high concern,” Dr. Edney said. “We have five counties with very high rates that we've been really focusing on successfully. We're not through.”
While the number of other STI cases fell around the country in 2024, the rate of congenital syphilis rose for the 12th year in a row, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Bradley Stoner leads the CDC’s STD prevention division.
“Although it is a slower rate of increase relative to previous years, it is still unacceptably high,” he said. “We had nearly 4,000 cases of congenital syphilis reported in 2024.”
Dr. Stoner says the CDC is trying to help states tackle congenital syphilis by establishing new guidelines and through better screening.
“People living in poverty, people who are unhoused, people who lack medical insurance or access to routine health care will have a greater problem getting tested and treated,” he said. “These all represent barriers to STI prevention and we want to bring greater awareness to these barriers and try to overcome them.”
Stoner stresses that early stage syphilis may not seem to present symptoms and often requires a blood test in order to diagnose. The bacterial infection can cause lesions and complications that result in damage to major organs. Infants born with congenital syphilis can also experience severe health issues or death.
October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.