Congenital syphilis in Ceará: incidence and control

Abstract

Congenital syphilis is a public health problem in Brazil, though it is avoidable if a woman is diagnosed and treated during pregnancy, what is therefore, a marker for the quality of prenatal care. The objective of this research was to evaluate the incidence of congenital syphilis in Ceará throughout the years 2001 and 2006 and to verify the insertion of pregnant women with syphilis during the pre-natal, and the inclusion of their partners in the treatment. It was a documental study. Data were collected in SINAN of SESA-CE, in November 2007. There were 1,203 reported cases of congenital syphilis in the whole state, in a historical series ascending year after year, despite the increase in the number of pregnant women who had prenatal care. Failure in the treatment of the partners has proven to be areality in the SUS-CE. The incidence of non-treatment is an index which indicates the quality of the prenatal assistance. Therefore, its increase in the last six years, in Ceará, guides for the necessity of actions directed to its control, particularly, during the prenatal.