Twenty-one years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that national adult cases of syphilis had reached their lowest levels ever, and entirely eliminating the disease among newborns seemed to be within reach.

But syphilis cases have risen dramatically over the last decade for both adults and infants — even though the disease is curable, and even though we could protect babies by getting pregnant people tested and treated in time.

Today, L.A. Times public health reporter Emily Alpert Reyes discusses this disturbing trend, what it says about our society and how to get the fight against congenital syphilis back on track. We also hear from someone who had a stillbirth because of syphilis and wants everyone to learn from her story.

More reading:

The number of babies infected with syphilis was already surging. Then came the pandemic

Two crises in one: As drug use rises, so does syphilis

1,306 U.S. infants were born with syphilis in 2018, even though it’s easy to prevent