For much of his medical career, Dr. Ari Bitnun rarely had to consider the symptoms that indicated a baby was sick with syphilis.
Rashes, often on the palms and soles of the feet. Poor weight gain and growth. Persistent nasal discharge, sometimes bloody. Swollen liver and spleen.
Dr. Vanessa Allen, a medical microbiologist and infectious diseases physician at Sinai Health and UHN, found the 2022 spike in cases of congenital syphilis “shocking.”
The government of Canada has published an online resource about rising syphilis cases in the country that offers facts about transmission, symptoms and treatments.
