Overview of a Provincial Prenatal Communicable Disease Screening Program: 2002-2016

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Maternal and Child Health

Background:

• Prenatal screening is crucial for identifying infectious diseases in pregnant individuals to prevent transmission to newborns.
• Long-term surveillance data provides insights into population-level trends of communicable diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze 14-year trends in serological results for selected communicable diseases within Alberta's provincial prenatal screening program.
• To assess temporal changes in screening outcomes for hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, rubella, and varicella.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of prenatal screening data from August 2002 to December 2016 from Alberta's Public Health Laboratory.
• Data stratified by year, disease marker, test result, and maternal age.
• Mann Kendall Trend Test used to identify significant temporal trends in serological results.

Main Results:

• Hepatitis B virus (HBV) seropositivity showed a slight, statistically significant upward trend (0.50% to 0.58%).
• Syphilis seropositivity increased significantly from 2006-2008, then stabilized before decreasing.
• Seronegativity for rubella and varicella demonstrated significant upward trends, indicating increasing immunity.

Conclusions:

• Alberta's prenatal screening program provides valuable provincial data on communicable disease trends.
• Observed trends reflect broader population infectious disease patterns, necessitating ongoing monitoring.
• Effective management of maternal and newborn infectious diseases relies on continuous surveillance of screening results.