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Philippines to investigate possible syphillis among displaced Mindanao women

A mother and her baby wait for food rations in Mindanao, the southern Philippines Jason Gutierrez/IRIN
    MANILA

    Health experts in the Philippines will launch a six-month study to ascertain the presence of syphilis among displaced pregnant women in Mindanao.



    "This will conclude whether we are dealing with syphilis, yaws, or a combination of the two," Gerard Belimac, manager of the country's national AIDS/STI prevention and control programme, told IRIN.



    The move follows a report by Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland (MSF) in 2009 that 25.5 percent of women undergoing antenatal and post-natal care had tested positive for treponematosis, a group of non-venereal infections, as well as the bacterium Treponema pallidum, which causes syphilis.



    The study will focus on priority areas of Maguindanao and North Cotabato provinces where high rates were reported. Participants - including 900 pregnant women and 200 of their husbands - will be provided with syphilis screening, counselling and treatment if necessary, Belimac said. Scheduled to begin in September, the study is a joint effort of the Department of Health, the UN Population Fund, the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund.



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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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