ST. PAUL, Minn. – Syphilis has re-emerged as a health threat in Minnesota. A new report from the state Health Department lists 29 infant cases in 2023. As recently as 2013 and 2014 there were no cases in the state, the report noted. The cases last year included three stillbirths. The disease had been passed on from mothers. Health authorities renewed their recommendation for screening three times during pregnancy. Maladies for newborns include premature birth, brain and nerve problems, blindness and deafness.
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Brooke Cunningham, state health commissioner: “It is heartbreaking to see this surge in congenital syphilis in Minnesota and nationally. This is preventable by timely diagnosis and treatment.”