title: Evaluation of preventative and control measures for congenital syphilis in State of Mato Grosso.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Congenital syphilis is an important health problem in Brazil. This study assessed measures aimed at the prevention and control of syphilis in the State of Mato Grosso and its capital, Cuiabá.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study cross-sectional and of time trends assessing the congenital syphilis was performed in Cuiabá and Mato Grosso between 2001 and 2011. We compared maternal sociodemographic characteristics and health care utilization related to cases of congenital syphilis during the periods from 2001 to 2006 and from 2007 to 2011. We assessed the temporal trends in this disease's incidence using a simple linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 2001 and 2006 in Mato Grosso, 86.8% of the mothers who had live births with congenital syphilis received prenatal care, 90.6% presented with a nontreponemal test reagent at delivery, 96.2% had no information regarding a treponemal confirmatory test at delivery, and 77.6% received inadequate treatment for syphilis; additionally, 75.8% of their partners were not treated. There was a statistically significant reduction in prenatal visits (p = 0.004) and an increase in the proportion of mothers reactive to nontreponemal tests at delivery (p = 0.031) between the two periods. No other variables were found to differ significantly between the periods. In Cuiabá, we observed a similar distribution of variables. In the state and in the capital, the increasing trend of congenital syphilis was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high incidence of congenital syphilis in Mato Grosso and the low levels of health care indicators for pregnant women with syphilis suggest the need to improve the coverage and quality of prenatal care.
authors: Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Campo Grande, MS, Brazi.
authors: Leila Regina de
authors: LR
authors: Oliveira
authors: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors: Maria da Conceição Nascimento
authors: Mda C
authors: Costa
authors: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors: Florisneide Rodrigues
authors: FR
authors: Barreto
authors: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors: Susan Martins
authors: SM
authors: Pereira
authors: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors: Inês
authors: I
authors: Dourado
authors: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors: Maria Glória
authors: MG
authors: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013590:Syphilis, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult