Syphilis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world

Kolkata, March 1 (UNI) With about 6 million new cases each year, syphilis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) report released Thursday indicates that there were more than half a million (about 661,000) cases of congenital syphilis in 2016, resulting in more than 200,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
If an infected pregnant woman does not receive early and effective treatment, she can then pass the infection to her unborn child. This is known as "congenital syphilis", which is often fatal. It can also be the cause of low birth weight, prematurity and other congenital malformations.