Mississippi sees 900% rise in number of infants born with congenital syphilis

Mississippi has registered an alarming rise in the number of infants being treated for congenital syphilis.

According to hospital billing data shared with NBC, the amount of babies who have been treated for the sexually transmitted disease has increased by more than 900% over five years.

Ten newborns that were born in the poorest American state in 2016 received treatment for the disease. In 2021, 102 newborns were treated for the disease, including at least one who died, according to the Mississippi state health department, NBC reported.

Syphilis is a contagious disease that is mostly spread through sex, but babies can also contract the illness from infected mothers. The disease produces an ulcer in the area where it entered the body, which usually appears between 10 and 60 days after infection.

Across the country, cases of congenital syphilis have more than tripled in recent years, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 2,000 cases were reported in 2020, marking a record number of cases reported in one year since 1994.