Provider Alert! Syphilis testing laws updated effective 9/1/2019
Texas law now mandates three syphilis tests for all pregnant women: at the first prenatal exam, during the third trimester (no earlier than 28 weeks gestation), and at delivery. This new testing is required because congenital syphilis cases reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) more than doubled last year. There were 367 cases of congenital syphilis in Texas in 2018, up from 164 in 2017. The increase in reported cases is likely due to a combination...