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Meetings: Diagnostics

Nine countries in Africa meet to scale up syphilis screening

National reproductive health programme managers from nine countries in Africa met recently to explore how they might scale up the use of rapid syphilis tests among pregnant women – a move that could save the lives of up to 500 000 African babies a year who otherwise die of congenital syphilis before birth or shortly afterwards.

The Orientation Meeting on Scaling Up Rapid Syphilis Tests for Screening, 29-31 July 2008, is part of a new TDR effort to facilitate translation of its recent work on the evaluation of rapid syphilis tests into implementation plans in countries with high rates of congenital syphilis. The effort was cosponsored by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Portrayed above are the members of the meeting, which was staged in Lilongwe, Malawi. Those present included the Malawi Minister of Health, Hon. Khumbo Kachale, (front row centre); Dr Felicitas Zawaira WHO representative, Malawi (right of centre); and (left of centre) Deputy Minister of Health, Hon Juliana Guga and TDR Director Dr Robert Ridley. Country representatives included reproductive health and STD programme managers from Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Madagascar, Malawi, and Botswana.

CONTACT Dr Rosanna Peeling