Pregnancy can be fun and exciting time for expectant mothers and families but it can also bring many sources of stress.
It is critical to inform your primary health care provider of any pre-existing health problems or diseases.
Syphilis during pregnancy is serious, but there are things you can do to reduce or avoid any problems for your growing baby.
The Ministry of Health statistics indicates that more pregnant women tested positive for syphilis in January than in any other month in the previous year.
According to data from the Kenya Health Information System, over 4,000 of the 128,767 women who attended antenatal clinics across the country tested positive for syphilis.
This is the highest number ever recorded in a single year. It amounted to 3% of the population (number that visited the clinics).
In November 2021, approximately 2,000 women tested positive for syphilis, compared to 1,536 in September and 1,527 in April. Some 19,000 of the 1.2 million women tested in the previous year were positive.
The highest number of cases occurred from April to June 2021, when 4,329 women tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease out of the 328,228 women tested, followed by July to September, when 4,217 women tested positive out of 320,447.
From October to December 2021, there were over 4,000 cases, while from January to March, there were 2,800. In February, approximately 37,117 women were tested, with 700 of them testing positive.
In March 2018, Kenya introduced an HIV and syphilis test kit for use in antenatal clinics. Every woman who visits an antenatal clinic must be tested for HIV and Syphilis.
Despite the availability of effective treatments and dependable prevention strategies, National Aids Control Council CEO Ruth Masha confirmed a resurgence of sexually transmitted diseases.
“Two decades ago, we were not recording any case of syphilis, unfortunately, we are seeing a comeback and something needs to be done.
This is not only in women attending the antenatal but also in teenagers,” she said.
Syphilis is a contagious infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and is primarily transmitted through sexual contact.
However, if you are an expecting mother with syphilis, congenital syphilis (if the baby gets the infection) is also a possibility.
Congenital syphilis results from transplacental transmission of the bacteria to the baby (the bacteria can cross the placenta).
Transmission is possible at any stage of pregnancy and can result in fetal death, or multiple organ problems.
It can also affect the ears, eyes, liver, bone marrow, skin, bones, and heart of the fetus.
Syphilis also increases the chance of stillborn pregnancy. If the fetus survives to birth, risks include premature birth, low birth weight, congenital syphilis infection, or neonatal death.