Nationwide register-based study demonstrates the elimination of congenital syphilis in Denmark, highlighting the success of routine antenatal screening programs.
Key Points
To assess national incidence and temporal trends of congenital syphilis and the prevalence of pregnancies with active syphilis in Denmark between 2010 and 2024.
Linked nationwide, individual-level data across Danish health and population registers for all live-born infants (N = 894,345) from 2010 to 2024.
Estimated annual incidence per live births and evaluated temporal trends and annual percent change (APC) using Poisson or negative binomial regression models.
Identified five confirmed congenital syphilis cases among 894,345 live births, yielding an incidence of 0.6 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.2–1.4), with zero cases diagnosed after 2016 (APC = −21.7%; 95% CI: −43.4 to −1.0).
Active syphilis occurred in 172 pregnancies, corresponding to 20.0 per 100,000 live births (95% CI: 17.2–23.2), showing no significant temporal change over the study period.
Cite This Study
Lausten‐Thomsen et al. (2026) studied this question.