Six Queensland babies have died in less than three years after contracting syphilis in the womb, according to state health data reported on Tuesday, as infectious case numbers climb faster than the five-year average. Two infants died in 2024, three in 2025, and one so far in 2026, alongside six live births with congenital syphilis this year.
What the numbers show
Queensland Health notified 55 pregnancies affected by syphilis in 2026 through September, part of a broader surge that has seen 1,126 infectious syphilis diagnoses statewide—about 20 percent above the usual pace for this point in the year. Infectious disease physician Candice Holland, based in Brisbane, told the ABC that many affected newborns die shortly after delivery or are stillborn when maternal infection is missed or treated too late.
Congenital syphilis is preventable when pregnant people are screened and treated with penicillin during antenatal care. Holland emphasised that late presentation remains common because syphilis symptoms can be subtle or absent, particularly in remote communities where access to regular testing is uneven.
Disproportionate burden
State surveillance dating to 2011 shows First Nations infants account for roughly two-thirds of congenital syphilis cases recorded in Queensland, reflecting both higher background infection rates and gaps in continuity of care. Australia’s chief medical officer declared syphilis a communicable disease incident of national significance in August 2025, triggering coordinated funding and monitoring across jurisdictions.
Queensland’s Syphilis Action Plan 2023–2028 guides outreach, partner notification, and antenatal re-testing protocols, but clinicians warn that benzathine penicillin supply constraints have complicated treatment schedules in some clinics even as case numbers rise.
Policy response
Health ministers have pointed to expanded telehealth screening in rural hospitals and targeted campaigns for reproductive-age adults, yet obstetric leaders say the deaths highlight the need for mandatory third-trimester re-tests in high-prevalence postcodes. Opposition health spokespeople are calling for a public audit of missed opportunities in the six fatal cases, though the state government has not committed to an external review.
Primary care networks in north Queensland have reported longer waits for penicillin injections, a bottleneck the state said it is tracking with the Therapeutic Goods Administration as import lines stabilise.
For families and front-line midwives, the immediate takeaway is clinical: any stillbirth or neonatal death in a syphilis-affected pregnancy must trigger rapid contact tracing and audit of antenatal records. Queensland Health said updated quarterly figures will land in October, giving epidemiologists a clearer read on whether 2026 will exceed last year’s toll.