DETECTION OF TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASES IN PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE STATE OF GOIAS, BRAZIL. MATERNAL SCREENING.

Abstract

This paper describes the screening of some infectious diseases in pregnant women that may be transmissible and harmful to their infants. The screening was performed as an Official State Public Health Program from the Secretary of Health in the State of Goias, Brazil, with the aid of the “Parents and Friends of the Handicapped Association” (APAE), a non-profitable
organization also responsible for the Program for Congenital diseases in Newborns. The tests are performed using filter paper and the screening described here is called the “Mother’s Test”. From September 2003 until June 2009, 348,037 women were tested. This program involves
nearly all the municipalities in the State. Immunoenzimatic (ELISA) tests were performed for syphilis, HIV/Aids, toxoplasmosis, rubella, hepatitis B and C, infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, HTLV and Citomegalovirus (CMV). Positive results (n=11,061) were confirmed later by venous blood collection. The confirmation of a positive result was obtained in 94.9% (n=10,496 serum samples), where 4,028 were syphilis(1.2%); 2,320 toxoplasmosis(0.7%);
1,768 Chagas disease(0.5%); 956 hepatitis B(0.3%); 469 HIV(0.1%); 334 hepatitis C(0.1%); 312, HTLV(0.1%); 181(0.05%) rubella and 128 in the acute stage of CMV(0.04%). Final results were sent to the patients’ physicians and the Epidemiological Surveillance authorities of the Municipality.