U.S. sees concerning rise in STIs, congenital syphilis with no signs of slowing

Ali Rogin:

Over the past decade, there's been about an eightfold increase in the cases of congenital syphilis in the United States. In 2012, the numbers were at historic lows thanks to robust contact tracing and public health efforts. But infections have gone up every year since. And syphilis in babies is much more serious than in adults carrying a risk of stillbirth and long term health problems.

Here to talk about what can be done to address this is Dr. Irene Stafford. She's an OBGYN and maternal fetal medicine specialist at UT Health, Houston. Dr. Stafford, thank you so much for joining us. Let's talk first about why STIs in general are on the rise in the United States.

Dr. Irene Stafford, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: Thank you again so much for having me. The rise in STIs in this country is multifactorial. Part of it is inconsistent screening patterns, especially with people that are in special risk groups. Unfortunately, our emphasis should be placed on offering and encouraging routine screening for STI in every health encounter.

Sexual health in general really seems to be underemphasized due to a lack of screening. Unfortunately, other significant issues such as access to care, funding, lack of available clinics, all of these factors contribute to the rising rates of STI.

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