Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2023
Keywords
Congenital syphilis (CS); STI services; Medicaid program
Abstract
Congenital syphilis (CS) is an infection acquired in utero that can lead to devastating outcomes, including stillbirth, infant death, or long-term health complications. Over the past decade, rising national rates of syphilis, including among women, have led to major increases in congenital syphilis cases and deaths.
CS is tragic and costly, but it is also preventable. With appropriate testing and treatment during prenatal care, syphilis in a pregnant woman can be identified and treated, and transmission to the fetus averted.
The Medicaid program is the payer for nearly half of all births in the U.S., making the program a crucial partner for efforts to better address syphilis in pregnancy and to prevent congenital syphilis. In 2018, more than half of all cases of CS in the U.S. occurred in the south, and mothers of infants with CS in the south were diagnosed at later stages of infection. This project explored challenges and opportunities for addressing congenital syphilis through the Medicaid program by focusing on seven southern states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Recommended Citation
This report was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $117,351 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Open Access
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