NCSD Applauds Biden Administration and HHS ‘Read Out’ Statement on Congenital Syphilis 

However, dramatic action and new money still needed to end the syphilis crisis in America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 15, 2023
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, (919) 749-7309 

Washington, DC – On Wednesday, HHS provided their first public details about the federal syphilis task force as a part of a ‘readout’ from HHS and CDC. The readout follows last week’s release of new 2022 congenital syphilis numbers, revealing a 32% rise in cases in just one year. The readout does not state that the Biden Administration will increase funding to fight syphilis or restore the $400 million rescinded from the STI field as part of last year’s debt ceiling legislation. David C. Harvey, Executive Director of NCSD, issued the following statement: 

“We welcome the first public details on the new HHS Syphilis Task Force and new attention from Admiral Levine and CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen on congenital syphilis. We are glad they took last week’s congenital syphilis data as a wake-up call that our nation’s health and public health leaders must step in to intervene in this crisis. Now we need them to think bigger – averting 5% of cases by next year is not enough when past CDC and HHS efforts have been able to get better results.”  

“We need three things right now from the Biden Administration:  

• Declaring a public health emergency will free up emergency funding and allow for streamlined grant making and new rules and policies.  
• Allocating $1 billion in funding will restore $400 million that was rescinded from the STI field this year and provide $600 million in new funding to implement an ‘End STI Initiative.’  
• The federal syphilis taskforce must take additional steps to consult with national and local experts within state and local health departments and with national groups focused reducing STIs and improving outcomes for pregnant people and babies.” 

Background: Calling for a Public Health Emergency 

NCSD is calling for a public health emergency to increase visibility and to allow the federal government and state and local health departments to engage in very specific actions to alleviate barriers jurisdictions have encountered when trying to mitigate syphilis in their communities and that federal agencies cite as an impediment to community engagement. For example, CDC would gain grant flexibility to shift underutilized HIV funds to clinic efforts on syphilis and local health departments could be granted greater flexibility to move Bicillin to areas with drug shortages. During the 2022 mpox outbreak, the public health emergency proved a very successful step in gaining control of the outbreak because it eased federal agencies’ ability to shift resources and grant flexibility to address the most critical needs.  

Background: Congenital Syphilis 

Congenital syphilis is a syphilis infection that is passed from a pregnant person who has syphilis to the fetus during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can cause stillbirth and infant death or result in lifelong disabilities. Congenital syphilis is preventable with timely testing and treatment with the antibiotic Bicillin L-A. Although the CDC’s Vital Signs only highlights congenital syphilis cases from 2022, the congenital syphilis crisis has been further exacerbated in 2023 by a shortage of Bicillin L-A, the only antibiotic that can safely treat pregnant people with syphilis, and by cuts to the STD workforce.   

Background: Recent STD Workforce Cuts  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress allocated more than one billion dollars in funding to strengthen the public health workforce over a five-year period. Disease intervention specialists (DIS) are public health workers who do contact tracing, investigate disease outbreaks, and connect people to testing and treatment services. Three years into the five-year funding, $600 million has been invested to hire more than 3,000 community health workers who serve every state and local jurisdiction. During debt ceiling deal negotiations, Congress eliminated funding for the remaining two years, a total cut of $400 million and those 3,000 jobs.    

###