Prevalence and factors associated with syphilis among pregnant women attending antenatal care, Khartoum State, Sudan

ABSTRACT

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence, predisposing factors of syphilis among the pregnant women attending antenatal care service, Khartoum state 2009.Methods: Descriptive cross- sectional study conducted among a simple random sample of 700 pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) services in Khartoum State health facilities. The data were collected by a questionnaire and blood samples investigation by using the Rapid Plasma Reagent Test (RPR). Descriptive method as well as inferential statistics were used for data analysis.Results: Most of the respondents were housewives (90.7%). (92%) of them were married for the first time, 81.1% had formal education. 39% know nothing about syphilis. Only 13.5 % knew the right causative agent, but some of them had information about the ways of protection. 38% of them had knowledge about unsafe or unprotected sex. 26% mentioned that having sex with one partner is very important for their safety. The most common sources of their information were friends followed by TV, radio and health personal. The overall Syphilis sero-prevalence was (3%). (63.6%) of the respondents knew about the possibility of transmission from the infected pregnant mother to her child. only (44.6%) of them heard about condoms, of them only (47.3%) had seen condoms and (50.8 %) knew from where to get it. 33.3% had used the condoms. (3%) of the participating pregnant ladies stated that they had sex outside the marriage and (73%) of them had it during marriage.Conclusions: The main recommendations were to augment syphilis diagnosis and treatment in antenatal care service and sexually transmitted disease programs, and to conduct effective health education programs to raise the awareness about the disease, its prevention and control to the good of the pregnant ladies and to the community at large.