Congenital syphilis rates are on the rise in the United States. Over the last five years, the rate of reported primary and secondary syphilis among women increased 190%. Left untreated, syphilis can lead to serious health issues in adults and can be transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy, leading to abnormalities and even death for newborn babies.
In observance of National Women’s Health Week (May 12 – 18) and Safe Sexual Health Day (May 13), the latest post on the OMH Blog for Health Equity by Norris Agnew, MBA, MA, Communications Team Lead at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH), explores how we can address the impact the syphilis epidemic is having on women and highlights how HHS is taking action to slow the rising syphilis rates through the establishment of the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic (NSCSS) Federal Task Force.
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