Partner notification of pregnant women infected with syphilis in Nairobi, Kenya | ICRH

Team members: 

Gichangi P;Fonck K;Sekande-Kigondu C;Ndinya-Achola J;Bwayo J;Kiragu D;Claeys P;Temmerman M;;

PubMedID: 

PM:10772091

Published: 

Int J STD AIDS ,2000 Apr ,11 4,257-261,

We examined partner notification among syphilitic pregnant women in Nairobi. At delivery, 377 women were found to be rapid plasma reagin (RPR) reactive. Data were available for 94% of the partners of women who were tested during pregnancy; over 67% of the partners had received syphilis treatment while 23% had not sought treatment mainly because they felt healthy. Six per cent of the women had not informed their partners as they feared blame and/or violence. Adverse pregnancy outcome was related to lack of partner treatment during pregnancy (7% versus 19%, odds ratio (OR) 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-10.0). Our data suggest that messages focusing on the health of the unborn child have a positive effect on partner notification and innovative and locally adapted strategies for partner notification need more attention