Syphilis cases climb in Virginia, as more babies are exposed during pregnancy

Twenty-five years ago, when Cynthia Morrow worked in a New York public health office, a single case of congenital syphilis, where a baby is exposed to the infection in the womb, would spark an immediate and urgent response. 

“All the alarm bells went off,” said Morrow, now the director of the Roanoke Alleghany Health District in Virginia.