Rapid syphilis test could save lives

Posted : Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:26:00 GMT
By : Health News Editor
Category : Health
News Alerts by Email ( click here )
Health News | Home
NEW YORK, June 1 Including a rapid syphilis test in prenatal HIV testing in Haiti could prevent more than 2,000 cases of still-birth, neonatal death or congenital syphilis.

Often undiagnosed or untreated, syphilis is passed from mother to child -- even when mothers take part in prenatal programs to prevent the spread of HIV, according to researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and the Groupe Haitien d'Etude du Sarcome de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes.

The current standard of care in rural Haitian areas without access to syphilis laboratory testing is assessing symptoms and treating if symptoms are found, but relying on symptoms means many cases are missed, according to senior author Dr. Daniel W. Fitzgerald, of Weill Cornell Medical College.

For most rural women, making even one repeat visit to a clinic to learn the results of a test and be treated is too much of a personal burden, but requiring only one clinic visit, using rapid testing followed by immediate treatment, proved to be the best strategy, according to the study in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Copyright 2007 by UPI

Share/Save/Bookmark

Article : Rapid syphilis test could save lives
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader


Related News

Lithuania confirms second swine flu fatality
Vilnius - Health officials in Lithuania confirmed Monday that the country had recorded its second death linked to the A/H1N1 flu virus, known commonly as swine flu. The victim was a 41-year-old man from the eastern city of Ignalina who had been admit...

Taiwan unveils flush toilet that records user's health data
Taipei - A group of Taiwan university students have invented a flush toilet which not only accept humane waste, but also gives something back. The toilet bowl invented by students from the Kun Shan University and Southern Taiwan University measures t...

Separated twins progressing well in Australia
Sydney - The Bangladeshi conjoined twins separated in a marathon operation in Australia last week were out of intensive care and in an ordinary ward in Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital Monday. We are very pleased the girls have been moved, said...

Pregnant women should check their blood iron levels
Munich - Exhaustion and paleness during pregnancy are an indication that the mother-to-be has an iron deficiency, Germany's association of gynaecologists said. Brittle hair and splitting skin in the corners of the mouth are other indications, said Ch...

Vaccine may be in offing for child-killer malaria
Nairobi - Patricia Njuguna knows all too well the suffering of her little patients at the children's clinic in Kilifi. Every day I have severe cases of malaria: children with high fever and convulsions, children who go into a coma, the paediatricia...

Alcohol and obesity leading causes of fatty liver
Cologne, Germany - It's tempting to eat heartily in the bitter cold of winter and the holidays seem like a perfect time to knock back a few drinks. But regular consumption of excess calories and more damaging substances than the liver can process can...

Road tunnels risky for respiratory patients
Hanover, Germany - People suffering from a chronic respiratory ailment should turn on their car's ventilation fan and close the windows before passing through a road tunnel, the German Lung Foundation (DLS) said. The reason for the precaution is the ...

Have your Say
Name
Email
Subject
Your Comment

Enter Verification code
 
  

 

 

More Health News click here
Follow The Earth Times
Subscribe to RSS Follow Earth Times on TwitterNews by email
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
 



 
Subscribe to free Earthtimes
News Alerts by Email Click here
For RSS Feeds Click here
or Create your own RSS

Add to Google Toolbar
Breaking News
Press Releases

 


The Earth Times
News Category

© 2009 www.earthtimes.org, The Earth Times, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Earth Times accept no responsibility or liability either directly or indirectly for views or opinions expressed in articles or comments.