Publish Date: May 2020
Author: MCSP
In 2012, an estimated 357 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs; gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and trichomoniasis) occurred among 15- to 49-year-olds worldwide, including 5.6 million cases of syphilis. There are an estimated 18 million prevalent cases of syphilis.1 Syphilis is a bacterial STI caused by Treponema pallidum that results in substantial morbidity and mortality. In 2012, an estimated 350,000 adverse pregnancy outcomes worldwide were attributed to syphilis, including 143,000 early fetal deaths/stillbirths, 62,000 neonatal deaths, 44,000 preterm/low-birthweight babies, and 102,000 infected infants.
