Congenital Syphilis Episodes

On today's episode, Thomas Dobbs from the University of Mississippi discusses syphilis in the U.S., from the use of antibiotics and public health interventions to the rising case rates over the past decade. Later, Joshua O’Neal from the Southeast STD/HIV Prevention Training Center discusses how prevention training centers are helping health departments and local providers respond to the crisis.

New CDC surveillance data show encouraging declines in several sexually transmitted infections—but a troubling increase in syphilis among newborns. In this episode, the Director of the Division of STD Prevention at CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Dr. Bradley Stoner, breaks down the key takeaways from the 2024 Provisional STI Surveillance report, including declines in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis, alongside the continued rise in congenital syphilis.

In this episode, we continue our Legislative Prospectus Series, examining public health trends in policy going into 2026 with Meredith Allen, vice president for health security at ASTHO. She’ll discuss the critical role immunizations play in preventing the spread of disease and protecting communities nationwide.

In this episode, ASTHO member and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian breaks down a major development in national vaccine policy: the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP’s) decision to narrow its guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO member and director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, discusses the op-ed he co-authored in the Chicago Tribune on the progress his state has made in treating HIV; Brandon Kufalk, STI unit supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, explains...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, outlines the recent recall of Bicillin; Marie Stratton, Overdose Data to Action program manager at the Maryland Department of Health, explains...

Adrienne Ammerman, founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and...

Robbyn Kistler, senior consultant for the Social Impact Media Program at KFF, tells us about recent syphilis videos that ASTHO, KFF, and CDC created; Theresa Arriola, director of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, discusses the importance of face-to-face interactions at ASTHO’s Spring Leadership...

Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC, reports the findings in the latest STI Surveillance report; Katherine Feldman, chief performance Officer at the Maryland Department of Health, details the success of...

Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC, discusses the first few weeks in his new role; Dr. Barbara Van Der Pol, professor of medicine and public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains how the UAB...

Heidi Hedberg, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, describes Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan; Julia Greenspan, director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy at ASTHO, explains...

David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors and the ASTHO Affiliate Council chair, tells us how the ASTHO Affiliate Council assists public health; Patrick Allen, former secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health,...

Laura Ungar, science and medical writer on the Global Health and Science Team for the Associated Press, discusses the two articles she wrote about the maternal mortality crisis; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and Alaska’s former chief medical...

Dr. Maura Quinlan, women's health medical advisor for the Illinois Department of Public Health, describes Illinois’ warm line for syphilis and congenital syphilis cases; Patrick Luces, program coordinator for the NCD Prevention and Control Program,...

Sasha Chavkin, senior reporter for The Examination, tells us about his investigation into whether the food industry is misusing anti-diet messages; Dr. Timothy Harrison, principal deputy director in the office of infectious disease and HIV AIDS Policy...

Dr. Sharon Stancliff, associate medical director for Harm Reduction in Healthcare at the AIDS Institute with the New York State Department of Health, discusses a study the state performed to test the pros and cons of different doses of naloxone; Tanya...

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO Member and State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, says new numbers in Alabama show infant deaths are dropping but the news isn’t all good; an ASTHO blog article outlines practical strategies for...