Unique Pattern of Missed Opportunities for Congenital Syphilis Prevention in Alabama Compared to National Trends

Abstract

Abstract Background Missed opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis include no syphilis testing during prenatal care, late prenatal care, inadequate treatment, no prenatal care, late identification, and unidentified missed opportunities. Cases of unidentified missed opportunities are those identified as newborns with congenital syphilis born to mothers that received adequate treatment thirty days before delivery. Missed opportunities in Alabama may differ from national trends. Comparing rates of missed opportunities in Alabama to national trends may help inform Alabama physicians of the most effective intervention points for our state. Methods Data on congenital syphilis cases and rates of missed opportunities from 2018-2021 were collected from the Alabama Department of Public Health and CDC STI datasets. The occurrence of missed opportunity types in Alabama was determined and compared to national trends. Results No timely prenatal care or syphilis testing was the greatest missed opportunity nationally at 37.58%. However, the most prevalent missed opportunity in Alabama was late identification of seroconversion at 44.44% in comparison to 14.22% nationally. Second most common missed opportunity in Alabama was no timely prenatal care or syphilis testing (divided into no prenatal care at 14.81% and late prenatal care at 6.17%). Additionally, evidence of congenital syphilis despite maternal treatment was the least common missed opportunity nationally (3.75%) but made up 25% of missed opportunities in Alabama in 2021. Conclusion The incidence of late identification of seroconversion in Alabama is three times the national average, which emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to address this disparity. Furthermore, congenital syphilis despite maternal treatment in Alabama is six times the national rate, suggesting a need for further investigation into other missed opportunities.