Assessment of Congenital Syphilis Situation in Thailand

Abstract

Background: A program named “Elimination of Congenital Syphilis” has been formulated and advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), but data on prevalence of congenital syphilis (CS) have not been collected. Objectives: To assess magnitude of CS problem in Thailand. To identify current treatment for mothers and children impacted by CS.
Methods: The study proposal was approved by the Ethical Committee of Thailand Ministry of Public Health. Data of pregnant women from nine provinces in fiscal year 2009 were collected. Three tools used for data collection included “Review Record Form”, “Management for Syphilis Positive Pregnancy” and “Syphilis Infections Record Form”. We held meetings and invited health staff from each hospital to interview and collect information using the forms.
Results: One hundred and fifty hospitals were included. Over 99% of pregnant women who received Antenatal Care were screened for syphilis. Of 119,200 women, 188 (0.16%) tested positive for syphilis, and 168 had positive result. There were 103 sero-positive pregnant women (SPPW) while prevalence of CS from these women was 14 (0.10/1000 live births). Although most physicians practiced according to the clinical textbook, there was no guideline for management of SPPW in their hospitals.
Conclusion: We found a low prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women and a low level of CS in Thailand during the study period. Little attention was being paid to this problem by health personnel. Reminding health personnel about SPPW can help to reduce CS in Thailand.