Congenital Syphilis: From Near-Elimination to Crisis.
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| Title: | Congenital Syphilis: From Near-Elimination to Crisis. |
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| Authors: | Abresch, Chad J. (AUTHOR), Stafford, Irene A. (AUTHOR), Johnson, Regan M. (AUTHOR), Olabanji, Kayode (AUTHOR), Sutphen, Ashleigh M. (AUTHOR), Cejtin, Helen E. (AUTHOR), Hoover, Ashley (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | American Journal of Public Health. Jan2026, Vol. 116 Issue 1, p103-112. 10p. |
| Subjects: | Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, Public health surveillance, Human abnormalities, Medical personnel, Human services programs, Congenital, hereditary, & infantile syphilis, Disease outbreaks, Health policy, Evaluation of human services programs, Disease eradication, Child health services, Public health administration, Telemedicine, Vertical transmission (Communicable diseases), System integration, Health equity, Evidence-based medicine, Preventive health services, Infectious disease transmission, Disease risk factors |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | This analytic essay examines the transformation of congenital syphilis (CS) in the United States from near-elimination to crisis. Drawing from the January 2025 Congenital Syphilis Summit in Atlanta, Georgia—convening public health leaders, Tribal health departments, the National Coalition of STD Directors, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts—we contrast prevention systems during near-elimination (1998–2005) with the current crisis (2018–2025). Evidence revealed how dismantling public health infrastructure produced dramatically different outcomes, with CS cases increasing 937% over the past decade and racial/ethnic disparities worsening. American Indian/Alaska Native communities face rates up to 100 times higher than White populations in some regions, illustrating the multiplicative effects of system failures on vulnerable communities. We identify 5 critical system failures: cyclical boom-and-bust funding, workforce deterioration, fragmented surveillance, disconnected health care systems, and health equity failures. We present policy proposals for rebuilding prevention infrastructure through a deliberate phased approach transitioning from crisis response to sustained maintenance, ensuring prevention systems receive continuous support rather than episodic investments that have characterized past approaches. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(1):103–112. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308266) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | This analytic essay examines the transformation of congenital syphilis (CS) in the United States from near-elimination to crisis. Drawing from the January 2025 Congenital Syphilis Summit in Atlanta, Georgia—convening public health leaders, Tribal health departments, the National Coalition of STD Directors, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts—we contrast prevention systems during near-elimination (1998–2005) with the current crisis (2018–2025). Evidence revealed how dismantling public health infrastructure produced dramatically different outcomes, with CS cases increasing 937% over the past decade and racial/ethnic disparities worsening. American Indian/Alaska Native communities face rates up to 100 times higher than White populations in some regions, illustrating the multiplicative effects of system failures on vulnerable communities. We identify 5 critical system failures: cyclical boom-and-bust funding, workforce deterioration, fragmented surveillance, disconnected health care systems, and health equity failures. We present policy proposals for rebuilding prevention infrastructure through a deliberate phased approach transitioning from crisis response to sustained maintenance, ensuring prevention systems receive continuous support rather than episodic investments that have characterized past approaches. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(1):103–112. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308266) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00900036 |
| DOI: | 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308266 |
