Congenital syphilis re-emerging

Abstract

Worldwide, of the 12 million people infected with syphilis every year, two million are pregnant women. An estimated 50 % of these pregnancies will end in fetal or perinatal death, low birth weight babies or babies born with congenital syphilis. The World Health Organization is developing control strategies for the developing world. Cases of congenital syphilis are costly to health care systems but can be prevented through antenatal screening and treatment. The evolving European syphilis epidemic has resulted in an increased incidence of infection in reproductive age women and the emergence of cases of congenital syphilis. This reflects a failure of prenatal care delivery systems as well as syphilis control programs.