Syphilis has increased 128% among women in Houston since 2019

The Houston Health Department has reported a syphilis outbreak, with an increase of 128% among women in the city, and a ninefold increase in congenital cases in Houston and the surrounding Harris County area since 2019.

Health officials announced the outbreak in a Thursday news release.

According to the department, new infections rose by 57% from 2019 to 2022. There were 2,905 new infections in 2022, compared to 1,845 new infections in 2019.

There were 674 cases among women in 2022, a steep increase from 295 cases in 2019, according to the release. And there were 151 cases of congenital syphilis in 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available, compared to just 16 cases in 2016.

Congenital syphilis happens when a pregnant person passes the bacterial infection to their baby in the womb. Untreated congenital syphilis can lead to stillbirth or damage the baby's organs or bones.

"It is crucial for pregnant women to seek prenatal care and syphilis testing to protect themselves from an infection that could result in the deaths of their babies," said Marlene McNeese Ward, deputy assistant director in the Houston Health department's Bureau of HIV/STI and Viral Hepatitis Prevention, in the news release. "A pregnant woman needs to get tested for syphilis three times during her pregnancy."

Pregnant women should be tested for syphilis at their initial prenatal visit, during the third trimester, and at delivery, according to the release.