Congenital syphilis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

In 2017, 36 congenital syphilis cases were reported in 23 EU/EEA Member States, at a crude rate of 1.1 cases per 100 000 live births. The trend for reported congenital syphilis cases has remained stable in recent years. There may be some underreporting: seven countries did not contribute to the reporting of congenital syphilis and a further 13 reported no cases for 2017. The low rates of congenital syphilis and decreasing rates of reported syphilis among women suggest that most Member States have effective programmes for elimination of congenital syphilis. Better indicator data are needed to assess the effectiveness of antenatal screening programmes in all EU/EEA countries.