Syphilis Screening among 27,150 Pregnant Women in South Chinese Rural Areas Using Point-of-Care Tests |
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| Authors: | Li-Gang Yang Joseph D. Tucker Feng-Ying Liu Xu-Qi Ren Xuan Hong Cheng Wang Megan M. McLaughlin Cedric H. Bien Xiang-Sheng Chen Bin Yang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of STD Control, Guangdong Provincial Center for STI & Skin Diseases Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China.; 2. National Center for STD Control, Nanjing, China.; UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, United Kingdom, |
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| Abstract: | ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and correlates of syphilis among pregnant women in rural areas of South China.MethodsPoint-of-care syphilis testing was provided at 71 health facilities in less developed, rural areas of Guangdong Province. Positive samples were confirmed at a local referral center by toluidine red unheated serum tests (TRUST) and Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) tests.ResultsAltogether 27,150 pregnant women in rural Guangdong were screened for syphilis. 106 (0.39%) syphilis cases were diagnosed, of which 78 (73.6%) received treatment for syphilis. Multivariate analysis revealed that older pregnant women (31–35 years old, aOR 2.7, 95% CI 0.99–7.32; older than 35 years old, aOR 5.9, 95% CI 2.13–16.34) and those with a history of adverse pregnant outcomes (aOR 3.64, 95% CI 2.30–5.76) were more likely to be infected with syphilis.ConclusionsA high prevalence of syphilis exists among pregnant women living in rural areas of South China. Enhanced integration of syphilis screening with other routine women''s health services (OB GYN, family planning) may be useful for controlling China''s syphilis epidemic. |
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