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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a $4 million initiative to expand access to rapid, point-of-care syphilis testing, including in emergency departments and other healthcare settings where testing is typically not part of routine care. Congenital syphilis cases have increased for 12 consecutive years, with nearly 4,000 cases reported in 2024, representing a nearly 700% increase over the past decade, according to HHS. In 2023, congenital syphilis contributed to 279 stillbirths and infant deaths. An estimated 83% of cases could have been prevented with timely testing and treatment. More than 40% of pregnant women who delivered an infant with congenital syphilis that year were not tested in time to receive adequate treatment before delivery.
Assistance in your pocket: Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched Syphilis Tools, a new, free app that healthcare providers can use as a clinical reference for syphilis screening, testing, and treatment. Interactive tools within the app help interpret serologic tests, identify syphilis stages, determine treatment regimens, and monitor titers. It also pulls county-based syphilis data to help inform local screening efforts. Find out more about urgent care’s role in testing and treatment in this JUCM clinical feature: Addressing Congenital Syphilis With Point-of-Care Testing in Urgent Care