Texas Continues To Lead US In New Cases Of Congenital Syphilis, CDC Report Finds
The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram (4/12, McCarthy) reports, “Texas continues to lead the nation in new cases of congenital syphilis…according to new data reflecting a nationwide increase in sexually transmitted infections.” The state “reported 561 cases of congenital syphilis in 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest STD surveillance report.” The report also found that “Texas reported more cases of congenital syphilis than any other state,” and that it “ranked third in the nation for its rate of congenital syphilis.”
As you may know, congenital syphilis is syphilis in newborns. It is transmitted vertically from a mother to her infant. Texas leads in case numbers simply because we are a very populous state and because we base our healthcare policies on dull and wrongheaded beliefs. We believe that teaching abstinence is the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs. It isn’t. We believe that Planned Parenthood should be defunded because dollars are fungible and can be used to pay for abortion services; so instead we sacrifice breast and cervical cancer screenings, STI screening and treatment and other health services for women (and sometimes men as well).
In cases per 100K population, we rank third. I’m sure that Gregg Abbott and his Evangelical Republican horde are very proud of that. Pendejos!