The number of newborns with syphilis in the United States surged more than 10-fold in the last decade, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday.

The CDC said 3,761 cases were recorded in 2022, including 231 stillbirths and 51 infant deaths, up from 334 cases in 2012.

Lack of timely testing and adequate treatment during pregnancy contributed to 88% of the cases in 2022, reflecting missed opportunities to prevent the maternal syphilis-associated disease, the agency said.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause serious health problems without treatment, and during pregnancy, can lead to stillbirth, miscarriage, infant death, and maternal and infant morbidity.

Congenital syphilis occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection to her baby during pregnancy.

The CDC recommends screening for syphilis at the first prenatal care visit to reduce perinatal transmission.

Benzathine penicillin G is the only recommended treatment for syphilis during pregnancy that must be administered as a single-dose injection or three doses spaced seven to nine days apart, depending on the stage of infection, according to the CDC.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; editing by Nancy Lapid and Shinjini Ganguli)