In an era when congenital syphilis is resurging across Europe, Denmark has demonstrated that a preventable disease can be stopped at the threshold of birth itself. Since 2010, the country has offered universal, free first-trimester syphilis screening to every pregnant woman, achieving a decade without a single case of mother-to-child transmission — even as infections rose in the broader population. The World Health Organization formally recognized this achievement in September 2026, not as a stroke of luck, but as the fruit of sustained, systemic commitment to reaching the vulnerable before ha
Denmark eliminates congenital syphilis through universal prenatal screening
Congenital syphilis can cause stillbirth, preterm birth, neonatal death, and serious long-term complications; Denmark's program prevented these outcomes in vulnerable populations.