Letter to The Editor: Syphilis Seroreactivity: Determining the Importance during Routine Screening

Abstract

There are an estimated 12 million syphilis cases worldwide, and 2 million of these cases are among pregnant women. There is paucity of data from the South–East Asia on the adverse outcomes of untreated syphilis during pregnancy and on the incidence of congenital syphilis among live-born infants. The reasons for this lack of data could be the difficulty of diagnosis, the occurrence of a high number of asymptomatic infections, or the absence of surveillance or reporting systems along with the lack of availability of trained personnel. As a result, the routine screening for syphilis starts at the district level and is not conducted at lower levels (1). According to the US Preventive Services Task Force, screening for syphilis is considered imperative during pregnancy because there is a substantial net benefit of the screening in pregnant women in the form of a reduced incidence of congenital syphilis in neonates (2). Congenital syphilis is preventable if adequate screening for syphilis is performed during pregnancy. Additionally, the prevalence of syphilis is a good indicator of the effectiveness of ongoing prenatal screening and control programmes in the area.