Study shows more pregnant women testing positive for syphilis

More pregnant women in January tested positive for syphilis as compared to other months in the past one year, statistics from the Ministry of Health shows.

Out of the 128,767 women who attended antenatal clinics countrywide, over 4,000 tested positive for syphilis, according to data in the Kenya Health Information System.

This is the highest recorded number in a single year. This was three per cent of the population (number that visited the clinics).

In November 2021, about 2,000 women tested positive for syphilis, 1,536 in September and in April 1, 527. Out of the 1.2 million women tested over the past year, some19,000 were positive.

April to June 2021 had the highest number of cases with 4,329 women turning positive for the sexually transmitted disease out of the 328, 228 women tested followed by July to September with 4,217 women testing positive out of 320,447.

October to December 2021 had over 4,000 cases while January to March had 2,800. In February, about 37, 117 women were tested and 700 of them turned positive.

Test kit

Kenya introduced the HIV and syphilis test kit used in antenatal clinics in March 2018. Every woman visiting antenatal clinics has to be tested for both HIV and Syphilis.

National Aids Control Council CEO Ruth Masha confirmed a resurgence of sexually transmitted diseases despite the availability of effective treatments and reliable prevention strategies.

“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.

“This is dangerous because it is the second-most common cause of stillbirths in the world. Even one mother testing positive for the disease should be a cause for concern,” she said.

Syphilis prevalence in teenagers rose 28 per cent with counties with high HIV prevalence and incidences recording the highest number of cases. This means that, out of ten girls tested, two have syphilis.

Bacterial disease

Syphilis is a bacterial disease that was once almost history, but which is now becoming a cause for concern among health workers who are in a mad rush to ensure it is eliminated, especially among pregnant women. It can be passed on through sex without a condom, sharing needles and injecting equipment and from mother-to-child during pregnancy.

A report published in the Frontier in Public Health Journal last year also found a worrying spike in the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents in the country. The study conducted in Thika  last year reveals that one in eight adolescents ages between 16 and 20 tested positive for gonorrhoea, chlamydia trachomatis, trichomonas vaginalis (TV), and vaginal gram stains for vaginal dysbiosis.

Dr John Ongéch, a leading obstetrician and gynaecologist in the country, told the Nation that the number of infections is alarming because gonorrhoea and chlamydia can inflict serious damage to a girl’s reproductive system and cause infertility.