PREVENTION OF VERTICAL TRANSMISSION OF SYPHILIS: APPROACHES TO SCREENING AND TREATMENT OF PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

Syphilis in pregnant women is a disease on the list of compulsorily notifiable diseases. This obligation is aimed at controlling the transmission of Treponema pallidum and monitoring the behavior of the infection in pregnant women, in order to plan and evaluate treatment, prevention and control measures. Given the complexity and seriousness of the clinical manifestations in the life of the newborn, this study aims to elucidate how vertical transmission of syphilis is prevented, including screening and treatment of pregnant women. The article was developed through a systematic literature review, and the articles selected for the study were taken from the SciELO, PubMed and VHL databases. Prevention of congenital syphilis begins in prenatal care, with testing in the first and last trimesters of pregnancy. Treatment should be carried out with intramuscular benzylpenicillin benzathine if active syphilis is confirmed and the criteria for assessing whether treatment has been carried out properly should be applied during outpatient follow-up. It is important to emphasize that, even given the seriousness of the repercussions of congenital syphilis, the country still faces inadequate conditions for the diagnosis and treatment of syphilis, thus preventing the early identification and correct treatment of pregnant women with acquired syphilis.