Reduction of Congenital Syphilis: The Result of a Ten-Year Intervention Program in Shenzhen, China

Reduction of congenital syphilis: the result of a ten-year intervention program in Shenzhen, China With the support from a government special fund, a comprehensive intervention program among pregnant women, their partners and newborn babies was conducted, aiming to prevent vertical transmission of syphilis. This program was the first and largest intervention among pregnant women in syphilis prevention in China. All pregnant women were screened for syphilis at the first antenatal visit. The positive samples were sent to Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control and Prevention (SZCCC) or district CCC to confirm. Women with positive results were treated and followed up till 6 months after delivery. Their partners were informed by women. New born babies were tested at their 1st, 4th and 7th months and treated if necessary. Free consultation was provided. From 2003 to 2010, about 1 700 000 pregnant women were screened and 6664 were confirmed to be syphilis seropositive, with an average prevalence 0.39% (from 0.47% in 2003 to 0.30% in 2010). 67.09% seropositive women continued to their pregnancy (from 44.50% in 2003 to 81.21% in 2010). 61.87% partners of seropositive women had accepted the testing (from 21.26% in 2003 to 76.64% in 2009) and the average prevalence of syphilis was 28.01%. Nearly all (98.10%) seropositive partners got treatment. 2870 babies were tested and followed up. 141 congenital cases were confirmed, the rate of which decreased from 19.05% in 2003 to 5.46% in 2006 and 1.77% in 2010. This intervention program has large effects on identifying syphilis cases among pregnant women and has greatly reduced the incidence of congenital syphilis. The high syphilis prevalence among partners indicates the importance of partners’ notification, testing and treatment. A successful program should combine the intervention among pregnant women, their new born babies and their partners.