The number of cases of syphilis continues to skyrocket in central New York, with Onondaga County reporting a more than 800% increase in the sexually transmitted disease from 2020 to 2025.
The statistic that troubles Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Katie Anderson most is the number of cases in newborns. There were seven babies born with congenital syphilis in 2025, an occurrence that was not seen in central New York until a few years ago. Anderson said it’s an indicator of a systemic problem in the health care system.
“Where people aren’t able to access the care that they need to, in the time that they need to, and in the context of all the other things that we know make life harder for some people in our community than others,” said Anderson…