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Warning-sign checks

Congenital syphilis: when to get help

Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.

  1. 1

    Is any of this happening now?

    Call 911

    Call emergency services for:

    • Trouble breathing, blue or gray skin, or pauses in breathing
    • A seizure
    • Severe difficulty waking the baby
    • Collapse, limpness, or unresponsiveness
    • Uncontrolled bleeding
    • A fever in a newborn, according to local emergency advice

    These signs can have many causes, but they require immediate assessment.

    Other emergency signs, for anyone
    • Someone who is struggling to breathe, gasping, choking, or cannot get words out
    • Someone who has chest pain, tightness or pressure lasting more than a few minutes
    • Someone who has sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
    • Someone who is unconscious, or cannot be woken
    • Someone who is bleeding heavily and it will not stop with firm pressure
    • Someone who has had a seizure that will not stop, or does not wake up afterwards
    • Someone who has lips or skin that look pale, blue, grey or blotchy
    • Someone who you believe has taken an overdose or swallowed something poisonous
  2. 2

    Is any of this happening?

    Be seen today

    Contact a prenatal care service promptly if you are pregnant and have a positive syphilis test, symptoms that could be syphilis, or recent sexual contact with someone diagnosed with syphilis.

    This needs timely assessment, but it is not usually an emergency-room situation when you otherwise feel well.

    Prompt medical assessment is also needed if a baby may have been exposed during pregnancy, even if the baby appears healthy.

    Do not wait for a rash or other symptoms to develop.

    Contact the care team sooner if appointments were missed or treatment records are uncertain.

    Seek urgent medical care if a baby or child has poor feeding, increasing jaundice, unusual sleepiness, a new rash with illness, reduced movement of a limb, or signs of dehydration.

  3. 3

    Does any of this apply?

    Book an appointment

    Arrange routine follow-up as scheduled for blood tests, hearing checks, eye examinations, or developmental monitoring.

Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Congenital syphilis. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.