Congenital syphilis in Brazil: a reflection of the fragility of screening and treatment of maternal syphilis

Abstract

Goal: The present study aims to verify the relationship between maternal syphilis and congenital syphilis in Brazil. Methods: Ecological study, with data referring to syphilis in pregnant women and congenital syphilis in Brazil from 2012 to 2021, obtained from the online platform of Syphilis Indicators of the Ministry of Health. Results: A gradual increase in the incidence and detection rate of maternal syphilis and, consequently, of congenital syphilis was observed. A total of 452,826 cases of syphilis in pregnant women and 211,999 cases of congenital syphilis were reported during the study period. In cases of congenital syphilis, the pregnant women received prenatal care (79.5%), and in 53.0% the diagnosis was made during this follow-up, but the treatment was only considered adequate in 4.5%. However, over the years under study, there was a gradual increase in maternal prenatal diagnosis of syphilis in the latent phases and in the 1st trimester. Conclusion: Maternal syphilis and congenital syphilis still have a growing number of records. There seem to be improvements in prenatal care regarding the diagnosis of maternal syphilis, but there are still weaknesses, especially in the treatment, still resulting in a significant number of cases of congenital syphilis.