Health & Medicine
Syphilis Infects more than One Million Pregnant Women Worldwide, Leads to High Number of Prenatal Deaths (VIDEO)
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Feb 28, 2013 03:06 PM EST
Estimates show that syphilis affects large numbers of pregnant women worldwide and can, in turn, pose serious health problems to babies, including death. However, the infection is easily preventable with early testing and treatment, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Unfortunately, it remains an important cause of adverse outcomes for pregnancy that include a substantial number of prenatal deaths and disabilities.
According to research, approximately 1.4 million pregnant women in 2008 were infected with syphilis. The researchers reached this figure by using information on the number of syphilis infections from 97 countries and on antenatal clinic attendance from 147 countries and then inputted this information into a model.
The authors of the study estimate that in 2008, testing and treating the pregnant women for the health issue prevent a quarter of harmful outcomes. Yet authors also found that approximately two-thirds of the harmful effects occurred in women who had attended antenatal care but were not treated or tested for syphilis.
"Countries also need to ensure that quality-assured syphilis testing is available in all antenatal clinic settings, now possible even in remote care settings with the introduction of rapid point-of-care diagnostics."
The authors add: "In addition, efforts are needed to ensure universal access to early antenatal care, as well as improved quality of antenatal care so that all pregnant women receive an essential package of services that includes routine and early access to point-of-care testing and adequate treatment for syphilis if seropositive."
Want to learn more about the symptoms of syphilis? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.
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First Posted: Feb 28, 2013 03:06 PM EST
Estimates show that syphilis affects large numbers of pregnant women worldwide and can, in turn, pose serious health problems to babies, including death. However, the infection is easily preventable with early testing and treatment, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Unfortunately, it remains an important cause of adverse outcomes for pregnancy that include a substantial number of prenatal deaths and disabilities.
According to research, approximately 1.4 million pregnant women in 2008 were infected with syphilis. The researchers reached this figure by using information on the number of syphilis infections from 97 countries and on antenatal clinic attendance from 147 countries and then inputted this information into a model.
The authors of the study estimate that in 2008, testing and treating the pregnant women for the health issue prevent a quarter of harmful outcomes. Yet authors also found that approximately two-thirds of the harmful effects occurred in women who had attended antenatal care but were not treated or tested for syphilis.
"Countries also need to ensure that quality-assured syphilis testing is available in all antenatal clinic settings, now possible even in remote care settings with the introduction of rapid point-of-care diagnostics."
The authors add: "In addition, efforts are needed to ensure universal access to early antenatal care, as well as improved quality of antenatal care so that all pregnant women receive an essential package of services that includes routine and early access to point-of-care testing and adequate treatment for syphilis if seropositive."
Want to learn more about the symptoms of syphilis? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone