Alarming Trend Shows Maternal Syphilis Surging in the U.S.

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January 28, 2026

by Jennifer Porter Gore, WordInBlack

The rate of pregnant women contracting syphilis continued climbing through 2024 for most demographic groups. Black women are also facing disproportionate risks from the disease.

Ultrasound image of the foetus at 12 weeks of pregnancy in a sagittal scan. (Wolfgang Moroder CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Tuesday shows an alarming trend: a sharp increase in the number of pregnant women diagnosed with syphilis, a sexually-transmitted infection that if left untreated puts children at risk for a range of issues, including blindness.

And while the upward trajectory has accelerated — due in part to late prenatal care, or none at all, according to experts — maternal syphilis isn’t affecting all populations equally.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the national rate of maternal syphilis more than tripled between 2016 and 2022, with early estimates showing that in 2024, the numbers jumped another 28%. Black mothers have seen a 30% increase in maternal syphilis rates and the increase among white women was 23%.

The biggest increase, however, was among American Indian and Alaska Native mothers, according to the data. Their infection rate jumped by 52%.

Research indicates a combination of better testing detection and a true rise in infections across several racial and ethnic groups is fueling these growing numbers.

The original article details how we got here.

Pregnant Black women face other health risks.

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