STD Cases Have Declined In US Adults, But Syphilis Continue To Rise In Newborns

As per the US government data, sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates for US adults fell last year. However, syphilis in newborns have continued to rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provisional data for 2024 showed a third consecutive year of fewer gonorrhea cases, and the second year in a row of fewer adult cases of chlamydia. The most infectious form is syphilis. However, cases of congenital syphilis, where infected mothers transmit the disease to their babies, haven’t shown the same progress. In infants, these infections can cause severe complications, including death or lifelong conditions such as deafness, blindness, and bone deformities.In the US, the number and rate of newborn cases has risen since 2012. This was when about 300 cases of syphilis were repor