United States – Women in the advanced stage of pregnancy (pregnant mothers) should take a blood test three times against syphilis, according to the newest suggestion issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Revised Recommendations for Routine Screening
The instructions emphasize to screen a woman for syphilis at her first prenatal care visit, then periodically at the third trimester and at the delivery, as reported by HealthDay.
This warning is prompted by an alarming surge in syphilis cases for pregnant women and their off spring.
Originally ACOG did not give a firm recommendation for doing routine screening of syphilis in all pregnant people in communities with excess syphilis prevalence. Instead, it offered risk-based screening only in the third trimester for women living in high-risk communities or women at high risk of getting infected.
Intelligible, Syphilis may affect the heart and brain and lead to blindness, deafness or paralysis unless treated. When transmitted prenatally, this infection can lead to a miscarriage, longterm health issues and the death of newborn babies.
Reportedly, the maternal syphilis rates in the US tripled during the first two months of the year, according to the CDC in February.
Alarming Statistics and Preventive Measures
The CDC identified that more than 10,000 women who gave birth this year tested positive for syphilis; the number in 2016 was 3,400.
The ACOG advisory adds a bleak value to the story by saying that the number of infants born with syphilis infection in the States had skyrocketed by 755% from 2012 to 2021.
“There has been a near eightfold increase in congenital syphilis cases in the last decade or more, and from a public health perspective, we recognize that obstetrician–gynecologists and other obstetric care clinicians play a critical role,” said Dr. Christopher Zahn, ACOG’s interim CEO and chief of clinical practice and health equity and quality.
Importantly, women who didn’t register for prenatal treatment at all accounted for around two times five infants born with syphilis, according to the advisory.
“Therefore, it is important to make any health care encounter during pregnancy — including those in emergency departments, jails, syringe service programs and maternal and child health programs — an opportunity to screen for syphilis,” the advisory reads.
Challenges and Call to Action
Almost 88 percent of congenital syphilis cases in newborns can be prevented if the expectant mothers are screened and treated timely, according to ACOG’s data.
An estimated 88 per cent of syphilis cases in newborns could be prevented with timely screening and treatment, according to ACOG, as reported by HealthDay.
“Timely diagnosis and treatment, therefore, are critical components in stops syphilis, but we are facing few challenges still as the treatment availability is low, prenatal care is not accessible due to its cost, and the stigma that surrounds the sexually transmitted infections,” Zahn stated in an ACOG statement. “Congenital syphilis can have devastating effects. We know that a majority of cases can be prevented, so additional routine screening during pregnancy is one important step that clinicians can take that could potentially be lifesaving.”