Medical experts in Mississippi are concerned about an alarming rise in syphilis cases among pregnant women and newborns. The trend is disproportionately affecting one of the state’s most vulnerable populations.In the past six years, congenital syphilis rates have spiked by nearly 1000% in Mississippi. It’s when a pregnant woman has the sexually transmitted disease and passes it to her newborn baby.”But, if a baby gets syphilis, there’s a high likelihood of severe deformity, or even death,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “If a woman catches syphilis during her pregnancy, there’s about a 40% miscarriage rate.”Former state health officer Dobbs is now the dean of population health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He said it’s Black women and women on Medicaid who are impacted the most.The cure for the STD is a shot of penicillin. According to Dobbs, the reason for why the rates are higher in pregnant Black women is complicated.”Some of it is probably related to, you know, long-standing historical, structural racism that drives some of these changes. Some of it is the underlying health status of women. We’re not the healthiest state in the country,” Dobbs said.Medical experts say the solution is better access to prenatal care. But Dobbs said the problem is that there are obstetrician deserts, in which areas of Mississippi don’t have easy access to an OBGYN. In addition, Mississippi is one of only a few states that doesn’t require pregnant women to get tested for the disease, meaning the patient would have to ask for a screening.”Not having health care in your community is always going to cause problems,” Dobbs said.Free STD is available at county health departments. Mississippi is No. 2 in the nation in syphilis rates and No. 1 for STDs, according to Dobbs.
Medical experts in Mississippi are concerned about an alarming rise in syphilis cases among pregnant women and newborns. The trend is disproportionately affecting one of the state’s most vulnerable populations.
In the past six years, congenital syphilis rates have spiked by nearly 1000% in Mississippi. It’s when a pregnant woman has the sexually transmitted disease and passes it to her newborn baby.
“But, if a baby gets syphilis, there’s a high likelihood of severe deformity, or even death,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “If a woman catches syphilis during her pregnancy, there’s about a 40% miscarriage rate.”
Former state health officer Dobbs is now the dean of population health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He said it’s Black women and women on Medicaid who are impacted the most.
The cure for the STD is a shot of penicillin. According to Dobbs, the reason for why the rates are higher in pregnant Black women is complicated.
“Some of it is probably related to, you know, long-standing historical, structural racism that drives some of these changes. Some of it is the underlying health status of women. We’re not the healthiest state in the country,” Dobbs said.
Medical experts say the solution is better access to prenatal care. But Dobbs said the problem is that there are obstetrician deserts, in which areas of Mississippi don’t have easy access to an OBGYN. In addition, Mississippi is one of only a few states that doesn’t require pregnant women to get tested for the disease, meaning the patient would have to ask for a screening.
“Not having health care in your community is always going to cause problems,” Dobbs said.
Free STD is available at county health departments.
Mississippi is No. 2 in the nation in syphilis rates and No. 1 for STDs, according to Dobbs.
