Dozens of babies die of syphilis in Hungary as cases soar globally

Children born to mothers with untreated syphilis are at high risk of dying as the bacteria enters the baby’s bloodstream from the placenta. Photo / 123rf

More than 20 babies in Hungary have died of syphilis after contracting it from their mothers, as cases of the sexually-transmitted disease soar globally.

The bacterial infection has killed millions over the centuries, including figures such as Al Capone and the French painter Edouard Manet. It was only in the 1940s that the advent of antibiotics brought the disease under control.

Children born to mothers with untreated syphilis are at high risk of dying within their first few hours or days of life as the bacteria enters the baby’s bloodstream from the placenta, and can result in multi-organ failure and meningitis.

At least 40% of infants who survive are at risk of developing long-term health problems, including intellectual disability, deafness, blindness, and chronic bone and joint issues.

In Hungary, 63 babies contracted congenital syphilis this year, 21 of whom died. The remaining infants are being treated in hospital, several have been hospitalised for months, according to the Hungarian health ministry.

Although syphilis is easily treatable with antibiotics – chiefly penicillin – women who are homeless, use drugs or are living in poverty are more likely to go undetected.

Children born with the infection are treated with penicillin, administered through an IV drip for a 10-day period. Adults are also treated with penicillin, usually by a single injection.

The infant deaths in Hungary come amid a global surge in syphilis cases.

In the US, rates of the disease have reached a 30-year high with more than 203,000 cases recorded in 2022, and at least 4000 cases of infant syphilis in 2024 – a figure that has been steadily increasing for a decade.

In Britain, case numbers are also rising. Last year, 9535 people were diagnosed with syphilis in England, the highest annual number since 1948.

‘The great imitator’

The reasons behind the rise are complex, experts say, and come alongside a significant boom in other sexually transmitted diseases over the last decade, including chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

One explanation is the increased use of dating apps, which have fuelled a rise in casual and unprotected sex, according to research.

There is a strong correlation between the global rise in STIs and the widespread rollout in the West of PrEP – the medication that prevents HIV infection, according to a major study published in The Lancet HIV journal.

The result has been a drastic fall away in new HIV infections in Europe and the US, and less societal concern around contracting the disease – leading to an overall decrease in condom use, particularly among gay and bisexual men, say some experts.

In women, experts say a dramatic increase in opioid addiction and abuse has increased transactional, and usually condomless, sex, particularly in homeless women or those living in poverty and has boosted STI rates in that demographic.

The disease has also been described as “the great imitator” because of its propensity to mimic other infections, and as such can often go untreated for months or years.

The earliest symptom of the infection is a small, hard, painless sore known as a chancre, which forms where the bacteria has entered the body. Because it is spread sexually, this can be on the genitals, anus, rectum, or inside the mouth. They are notoriously difficult to spot.

While other symptoms might appear in the interim, including fatigue and itchy rashes, it can be anywhere between 14 and 40 years before the most severe effects of syphilis manifest, which include dementia, stroke, paralysis, aortic aneurysms, blindness and deafness.

While penicillin can still kill the bacteria, in end-stage syphilis, the damage is irreversible.

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