Prevalence of syphilis and HIV using rapid tests among parturients attended in public maternity hospitals in Vitoria, State of Espirito Santo

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of syphilis and HIV among parturients attended at public maternity hospitals in Vitoria, Espirito Santo. Between January and May 2007, interviews were conducted to obtain demographic, behavioral and clinical data. The subjects were tested for HIV using a rapid test, ELISA and the indirect fluorescence assay; and for syphilis using a rapid test, VDRL and MHA-TP. A total of 1,380 women were included. Their mean age was 24.2 years (SD 6.1) and their mean schooling level was 8.5 years (SD 2.6). The HIV prevalence rate was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2%-1.1%) and the syphilis rate was 0.4% (95% CI: 0.2%-0.9%). The rapid test for HIV was in agreement with ELISA and the indirect fluorescence assay in all cases. The rapid test for syphilis was positive in six women, but two cases were not confirmed by VDRL and MHA-TP. Among the 71 (5.1%) women who had not had antenatal care, the rapid test on one woman was positive for syphilis and two for HIV. The results show the importance of the rapid test for diagnosing syphilis and HIV because there are parturients without antenatal care or without access to test results and treatment during antenatal care.