Childcare and Follow-Up of Children Exposed to Syphilis or Notified With Congenital Syphilis

Abstract

Objective: to analyze childcare and follow-up of children exposed to or notified with congenital syphilis in Primary Health Care. Method: a descriptive study carried out in Fortaleza, Ceará, whose population was made up of children exposed to syphilis or notified with congenital syphilis in 2017 and 2018. The data were collected from notification forms and the children's medical records. Sociodemographic variables of the mother and childcare were analyzed. For this purpose, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22, was used. Results: a total of 715 children took part in the study. The mothers' age varied from 14 to 42 years old, 436 (61%) had Complete Elementary School, 276 (38.6%) had a steady or occasional partner, 97 (13.6%) had a paid job and 23 (3.2%) used drugs. A total of 712 (99.6%) attended prenatal care and 134 (18.7%) were treated for syphilis. In relation to the children, 50 (7.0%) attended only one childcare consultation and a considerable loss was observed in follow-up over the months. Ten (1.4%) completed all eight consultations recommended by the Ministry of Health. No child underwent the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory at one, three, six, 12 and 18 months. Conclusion: childcare and follow-up of children exposed to syphilis or notified with congenital syphilis do not meet the guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health. There is a significant follow-up loss among the children.