Elimination of Congenital Syphilis
While it is recognized that better information is available on congenital syphilis at this time, response is still lagging.
- Responses vary from country to country and even within countries (e.g. in India and China).
- Antenatal syphilis screening and treatment are excellent prevention but coverage remains low.
- Babies are still getting infected; prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) coverage in the Western Pacific Region is very low (25%).
- If halving the number of new infections by 2015 is the goal, many countries need to act fast.
The elimination of congenital syphilis has four main pillars, namely:
- ensure sustained political commitment and advocacy;
- increase access to and quality of maternal and newborn health services;
- screen all pregnant women and treat all women who test positive; and
- establish surveillance, monitoring and evaluation systems.