National study highlights missed opportunities in controlling rising congenital syphilis in Canada

OTTAWA - Cases of congenital syphilis have been rising in Canada, a trend that Drs. Carsten Krueger and Jared Bullard say represents “many missed opportunities with potentially irreversible consequences”.

The final results of their study on congenital syphilis (CS) were included in this year's Annual Report from the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP). The results will help federal, provincial, and territorial public health authorities identify strategies for preventing CS.

Parental substance use and housing insecurity were identified as risk factors for infants to develop CS. Prenatal testing is extremely important, as Dr. Krueger says “most infants were asymptomatic which can make diagnosing and treating congenital syphilis very difficult.”

Syphilis can be identified in pregnancy and treated with antibiotics, preventing transmission to the baby. Dr. Bullard notes that next steps for addressing this issue could include removing perceived barriers for prenatal care by interviewing mothers/birthing parents of affected infants.

The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) recently released clinical guidance on congenital syphilis, including screening recommendations for physicians.

More study results highlighted in the CPSP Annual Report include:

• A final report investigating first-time hospitalizations for anorexia in children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic is now available. Eligible case studies from September 2021 to August 2023 found that the COVID-19 pandemic was a contributing risk factor in the development of anorexia, citing disruptions to daily life, fat-phobic social media content, and the cancellation of important events.
• A survey on the healthcare needs of transgender and gender-diverse youth, which highlights the barriers they face when trying to access a range of healthcare services, including mental health and referrals for gender-affirming care.

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The CPSP is a network of 2,700 Canadian paediatricians and paediatric subspecialists. It is a partnership between the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society. Through gathering disease data, the program generates valuable new knowledge to inform clinical research, practice, and policy related to important rare conditions and evolving child health threats. Along with knowledge translation tools, including monthly tips on adverse drug reactions, the CPSP provides timely information to researchers, doctors, and health policy-makers on both emerging and persisting health conditions affecting children and youth.