U.S. congenital syphilis rates continue to rise, says the CDC. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of infants born with syphilis has increased annually for the past nine years-from 362 in 2013 to at least 2,268 in 2021-with 766 related stillbirths and infant deaths reported during that period. As of 2020, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas had the country's highest rates of congenital syphilis; Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont were the only states that didn't report any cases. While congenital syphilis can be effectively prevented with penicillin, barriers to prevention include insufficient public health funding, lack of access to prenatal care, and lack of adequate treatment despite timely diagnosis. The CDC says the increasing rates of the disease mirror rising cases of syphilis among U.S. pregnant women, which grew 16% between 2019 and 2020.