Syphilis

Cheap, simple tests and treatments for syphilis in pregnancy could prevent more than half of newborn deaths and stillbirths related to the disease, which kills 500,000 a year in Africa , a new study has found.Research by British scientists published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Thursday found that syphilis is a major cause of infant death in many poorer countries and that antenatal syphilis screening is one of the most cost-effective ways of improving newborn and child survival. Some 2 million pregnant women are infected with syphilis globally each year and around 1.2 million of these transmit the infection to their baby, who may be stillborn, born early, born with a low birth weight, or congenitally infected as a result.Experts say an estimated one million babies die each year from congenital syphilis. Yet for as little as $1 or $1.50, all pregnant women could be screened for syphilis using a standard blood test and treated with the cheap antibiotic penicillin if they ...

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