Sero-Prevalence of Syphilis among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Careclinic at Jimma Univeristy Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Syphilis is a systemic disease caused by Triponema palladium which can be spread by sexual contact, blood transfusion and via vertically from mother to fetus in utero. The World Health Organization estimates 10-12 million new infections of syphilis occur every year. And also, Infection rates show extreme variation between countries of the same region as well as various subcategories of populations studied (1). If not treated, syphilis can cause serious problems such as damage to the aorta, brain, eyes, and bones. In some cases it may be resulted in fatal. Testing for syphilis during pregnancy and labor is medically important because, syphilis infection has a potential risk for congenital infection and fetal loss (2). Syphilis has also a new potential for morbidity and mortality through association with increased risk for HIV infection (3). Pregnant women should have serologic test for syphilis at the time of the first prenatal visit. In women suspected of being at increased risk for syphilis or for populations in which there is a high prevalence of syphilis, additional tests should be performed during the third trimester at twenty-eight weeks and again at delivery. Seropositive women should be considered infected and should be treated unless prior treatment with fall in antibody titer is medically documented (4). The mother can transmit the infection transplacentally to the fetus or during passage through the birth canal by contact of the newborn with a genital lesion. Breast feeding does not result in the transmission of syphilis, unless an infectious lesion is present on the breast. Until recently, a