Syphilis Rates in Babies Are at a 20-Year High, CDC Says

The number of babies born with syphilis in the U.S. more than doubled between 2013 and 2017, according to new federal data.

Rates of congenital syphilis, which a mother passes to her baby during pregnancy or delivery, rose by more than 150% between 2013 and 2017, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 918 babies were born with syphilis in 2017, the report says. That's up from 362 in 2013 and is the highest number in 20 years.