CONGENITAL SYPHILIS: A CHALLENGE FOR NORTHERN BRAZIL

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Syphilis, a disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, is transmitted mainly through unprotected sex, but there are still vertical transmission between mother and child , featuring congenital syphilis , quite common in the northern region of the country, causing losses for both the health of postpartum women as the progeny ( Rodrigues et al , 2004). This work deals with the panoramic profile of congenital syphilis in northern Brazil to inform both the academic community in general and health professionals about the real situation of innate syphilis , helping thus the combat and prevention of the Brazilian public health problem . METHODS: The survey involved recent articles in databases and SciELO LILACS and data were analyzed present in DATASUS to present the profile that suited the development work. The following search phrases were used: " Congenital syphilis in northern Brazil " and " Congenital syphilis in the Amazon region." RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: According to DATASUS database in the last decade the number of cases of congenital syphilis has fallen in the northern region of the country, however this decrease is still small . This is mainly due to the limits imposed by local geography , making the exams that make up the prenatal as the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory ( VDRL ) . In addition, lack preventive sex education for risk groups ( Lima, Bruno G. C. , 2002).