A 25% drop in congenital syphilis cases across Virginia's Eastern Region marks a quiet victory in one of America's most urgent public health battles—and it came not from a single breakthrough, but from neighbors deciding to act together.
One year ago, Hampton Roads health systems and public health officials launched a coordinated regional campaign to tackle rising syphilis infection rates. What began as a collaboration between the Virginia Department of Health, community nonprofits, and major hospitals—Sentara, Riverside, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Bon Secours, and the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters—has evolved into a movement that proves prevention, when done right, works.
The momentum became undeniable at an April 2026 meeting of the Eastern Region Stop Syphilis Community Taskforce, where representatives from health districts, schools, correctional institutions, and academic partners gathered to review two years of data. The numbers told a story of sustained effort. Sentara Health reported a 42% surge in syphilis testing from the initiative's start through March 2026. At Riverside Health, orders for syphilis tests have climbed steadily since 2020, with roughly 83% now targeting the most vulnerable age group: people aged 15 to 44. More testing meant earlier identification. Earlier identification meant faster treatment. And faster treatment prevented the worst outcome: babies born with a disease entirely preventable through maternal screening and penicillin.
The campaign's strategy was methodical. Health systems standardized testing protocols, streamlined referral processes, and launched a region-wide public awareness push. No single dramatic gesture—instead, the unglamorous work of making sure every provider knew the steps, every testing site was accessible, and every person in the community understood their risk and options. The message, distilled to its essence: Get Tested. Get Treated. Stop Syphilis.
Dr. Susan Girois, Director of the Norfolk Department of Public Health, captured the weight of what these numbers represent: "Every baby born with syphilis is a preventable tragedy." That statement carries the clarity of someone who has seen both the problem and the solution. The tragedy is preventable because we know how to prevent it. The question has always been whether we would do the work.
In Hampton Roads, the answer has been yes. The 25% drop in congenital cases across the Eastern Region is not a finish line—the taskforce is explicit about that. VDH data from 2025 shows the work remains urgent, and the goal remains uncompromising: drive newborn infection rates to zero. But the trajectory matters. It shows that when hospitals coordinate testing, when health departments remove barriers to care, when community organizations help people find services, and when public schools and correctional institutions participate in screening, momentum builds.
The initiative's success rests on something often overlooked in health policy: trust built through visibility. Residents can visit StopSyphilisNow.com to find testing locations and schedule appointments. It is a small digital gesture that reflects a larger commitment: making it easier to do the right thing than to avoid it.
As the taskforce enters the next phase, all regional healthcare systems have renewed their commitment to maintaining standardized testing and expanding outreach to the populations most affected. The road ahead is clear. The question is not whether syphilis can be eliminated—public health history proves it can—but whether the region will sustain the collective will to finish the job.