At least three babies have died of presumed congenital syphilis in New York state this year as cases continue to rise, the state Health Department announced on Tuesday.
Congenital syphilis, which is passed to a fetus during pregnancy, is a curable infection, but can be harmful or fatal if not caught and treated early. Without treatment, the infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity and infant death; babies born with it can have deformed bones, severe anemia, brain and nerve problems.
The recent infant deaths — which occurred in counties outside of New York City — underscore the continued challenge of preventing congenital syphilis infections, which physicians and public health experts in New York raised alarms about last year…