The Nation - News from Oct. 10, 1986
Federal health officials said that the number of babies born with syphilis rose sharply in the last two years, and poor prenatal care is the primary cause. From 1983 to 1985, reported cases of congenital syphilis--infection at birth with the sexually transmitted disease, transferred from mother to child--increased from 166 to 268, the national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said. Over the last three years, the agency said, 48% of the mothers of such babies had not seen a doctor during their pregnancies.
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