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Congenital syphilis cases (CY)
Detect, prevent, and reduce the transmission of infectious diseases. — Reduce new cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Congenital syphilis cases (passed from a pregnant person to their infant) have more than doubled over five years, though the pace of increase slowed in the most recent year. The Health Department reports that more than half of birthing parents whose infants were born with congenital syphilis in 2024 had late or no prenatal screening -- the primary opportunity to catch and treat syphilis during pregnancy -- and that Manhattan saw the largest borough-level rise alongside a drop in prenatal screening rates there.
Researched July 15, 2026 — DOHMH, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 24 cases |
| FY23 | 21 cases |
| FY24 | 35 cases |
| FY25 | 37 cases |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
Why this is tracked
A privately organized 1865 survey of sanitary conditions across Manhattan's wards, prompted by fears of an approaching cholera epidemic, built the public support that led the state legislature to create New York's Metropolitan Board of Health in February 1866 -- the first municipal public health authority in the United States. When cholera arrived that spring, the Board's aggressive house-to-house inspections, quarantines, and sanitation orders kept New York's death toll well below that of other major American cities. DOHMH's modern disease-surveillance and control work is a direct descendant of that founding mission.
Metropolitan Board of Health - Wikipedia, New York Academy of Medicine - Cholera Comes to New York City
Source: Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported annually.
Definition: The number of congenital syphilis cases (disease acquired before or at birth) reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. STI surveillance data—including data on syphilis—are reported annually on the calendar year (i.e. FY24 = CY23).