Missed opportunities for prevention of congenital syphilis

The WHO presented the initiative: "Global elimination of congenital syphilis (CS): rationale and strategies for action". It establishes that CS is a preventable disease that can be eliminated.

To estimate the proportion of missed opportunities for prevention (MOP) of (CS).

Cross-sectional study. We studied women with children with confirmed diagnosis of CS (NOM-039-SSA2-2002) in the Mexican Social Security Institute in Jalisco from 01/01/2016 to 08/01/2022. The clinical records of the mother, the newborn and the epidemiological study (ES) were reviewed. Each case was classified into one of the MOP categories.

52 cases were reported: 46.2 % (n = 24) were ruled out, 34.6 % (n = 18) confirmed, 15.4 % (n = 8) unknown and 3.8 % (n = 2) probable cases. The HIV test was performed in 61.1 % (n = 11) and syphilis in 72.2 % (n = 13) of the mothers. The MOP in 27.8 % (n = 5) was inadequate treatment or omission of maternal treatment despite a timely diagnosis of syphilis. Treatment was inadequate in 63.6 % (n = 7) of the women who received it.

The classification of MOP identifies gaps in CS prevention and can guide stakeholders, policy makers and public health prevention programs to reduce the incidence of CS.