Syphilis in pregnancy - prevalence at different levels of health care in Durban

Extracted from text ... 1182 To the Editor: Syphilis in pregnancy is a significant cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity in South Africa.1 Yet, despite universal screening for all antenatal women, it has been reported to be endemic in KwaZulu-Natal. However, such reports are based mainly on figures from regional and tertiary hospitals and therefore may not be a true reflection of the prevalence of syphilis in the pregnant population. In a recent study performed at King Edward VIII Hospital, Patel et al.2 reported a prevalence of 9%.2 Reports from sexually transmitted disease clinics quote figures of 21% among pregnant women.3 The latter figures ..