Health Care : Current Reviews

Seroprevalence and risk factors for syphilis among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Eswatini, January 2020 to October 2021

9^th Global Conference on Nursing and Healthcare & 3^rd International Conference on Psychiatry and Psychological Disorders & Plastic Surgery

September 14, 2022 | Webinar

Zazi Zikalala, K Ravhuhali, V Lokotfwako and L Kuonza

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa
Ministry of Health, Eswatini
University of Pretoria, South Africa

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: HCCR

Abstract:

Background: Syphilis is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in most low-income countries including Eswatini, with estimated 7 million new infections reported globally in 2020. In Eswatini, every pregnant woman is tested for syphilis at every first antenatal contact and retest is done every 8 weeks during pregnancy. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of syphilis and examine factors associated with syphilis among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) in Eswatini. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using secondary data from routinely collected ANC health facility data in the country. Data were retrieved from Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), and syphilis prevalence was computed using the ratio of syphilis seropositive test against those who tested for syphilis. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with odds of syphilis. Results: A total of 162,299 women attended ANC and 256 maternal syphilis cases were recorded from January 2020 to October 2021. The mean age of cases was 26.58 years (SD 6.60). The overall prevalence of syphilis was 0.2%. The prevalence of syphilis was high among women from Shiselweni region (0.4% [128/32,115]), multigravida (0.2% [188/95,147]) and HIV positive women (0.6% [17/2,633]). Factors associated with syphilis seropositive status were Shiselweni region (aOR 4.07, 95% CI 2.95- 5.62), multigravida (aOR 3.09,95% CI 1.94- 4.93), being HIV positive (aOR 2.83 ,95%CI 1.61- 4.94). Conclusion: The results highlighted the need to scale up syphilis testing and treatment in high prevalent regions and those that are HIV positive. The risk factors for syphilis identified in the study should be strengthened in the health education for ANC women by health care workers to reduce maternal morbidity. Key words: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors, Syphilis, Pregnant Women, Eswatini.

Biography :

Zazi Zikalala is a public health professional from Eswatini, with 6 years of working experience on TB and HIV programs and research, PMTCT, HIV surveillance, and field epidemiology. He has a background of training in Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery, postgraduate studies in public health and is currently in his final year for the South African Field Epidemiology Training Program (SAFETP) and registered for final year MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the domain of field epidemiology at the University of Pretoria School of Health Systems and Public Health. He is skilled in epidemiology core competencies such as outbreak investigations, surveillance, data analysis, and research. He has worked in public health clinics, hospitals and non-profit making organizations. He also a tutor for Postgraduate Diploma in public health at the University of Pretoria.