STI screening call after spike in unborn baby deaths

An outbreak of a treatable sexually transmitted disease has led to a dramatic rise in the deaths of unborn babies.

Doctors fear more congenital syphilis fatalities are likely in Queensland, sparking calls for an increase in sexually transmitted infection screenings to bring it under control.

Syphilis cases are spiking in Queensland and affecting unborn babies after an outbreak in the state’s north-west, Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital said.

Sexual health physicians want PCR testing for syphilis to be used widely to help contain a growing epidemic of disease in Melbourne.

Four babies died in 2023 from congenital syphilis, when an infant is infected with the disease in the womb by their mother.

It was the highest annual congenital syphilis death toll recorded in the state this century.

“It is likely we will see more deaths if something doesn’t change,” the hospital’s obstetric medicine and infectious disease specialist Dr Jill Parkes-Smith said.

“I have already seen more deaths from congenital syphilis than I ever expected to see when I became an infectious diseases physician.”

Three Queensland babies have already died from congenital syphilis in 2024, the state’s latest health data showed.

Syphilis is spread via sexual contact and can be prevented by using contraception like condoms and dental dams.

The disease is detectable and treatable, however, infectious syphilis cases have increased in the last two decades from 3.1 to 26.4 cases per 100,000 people annually.

Parkes-Smith said increased screening was key to curbing the outbreak.

The disease is detected through a blood test and Parkes-Smith said the unborn baby deaths recorded last year could have been prevented if detected earlier.

She encouraged health practitioners to increase screening requests for high-risk patients, especially pregnant women.

“People who are sexually active should consider being screened if they have a new sexual partner, they haven’t had a test before, have symptoms or have concerns,” Parkes-Smith said.

Syphilis is easily treated with penicillin but if left undiagnosed can lead to neurological problems like hearing loss.

Congenital syphilis can increase the risk of birth abnormalities and stillbirth if left untreated but is also easily cured through antibiotics.

“People think syphilis is a historical disease and there’s a real stigma attached to it,” Dr Parkes-Smith said.

Case numbers are increasing in non-Indigenous and Indigenous Queenslanders.

The outbreak began in the north-west but cases are increasing in the far north, greater Brisbane and the central part of the state, the hospital said.

Experts believe the rise in cases is due to a decrease in condom use, barriers to accessing health care in remote areas, the use of dating apps and possibly the number of men who have sex with both genders.

Syphilis usually has few symptoms but can present with hard sores on the genitals which can progress to lesions and a non-itchy rash on the palms or soles of the feet.

AAP