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On Wednesday, September 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a webinar on state activities to eliminate congenital syphilis in newborns covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The webinar will include presentations from several states on how they address congenital syphilis in their Medicaid and CHIP programs, approached any barriers, and overcame challenges to achieve measurable health outcomes. Today, CMS also released a new webpage with information and additional resources on eliminating congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis occurs when people pass syphilis to their babies during pregnancy. Congenital
syphilis is preventable, yet the number of cases has more than tripled in recent years. Left
untreated, congenital syphilis can result in infant death, developmental delays, skeletal
abnormalities, deafness, meningitis, and ongoing adverse health outcomes throughout a child’s life. Syphilis risks for the pregnant person include miscarriage, ongoing infection, and more.

A lack of timely testing and treatment before and during pregnancy contributes to 88% of
congenital syphilis cases. Screening and treating before and during pregnancy are the best
approach to preventing congenital syphilis. Screening at birth can help identify the condition early
for the infant in addition to treating the parent.

We hope you will join us for this important webinar.

Webinar: Eliminating Congenital Syphilis Through Improved Care During Pregnancy
(Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 2:00 p.m. ET). To register for this webinar, click here.