OBJECTIVE:

To describe the behavior of gestational and congenital syphilis in Colombia, with a georeferenced ecological analysis of infection by department, during the period 2014 to 2021.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive and ecological study based on secondary sources of information. For the analysis, the rate of gestational syphilis and congenital syphilis were calculated as global measures for each of the departments. The information was extracted from the weekly epidemiological bulletins and annual reports published by the National Institute of Health 2014-2021.

RESULTS:

The incidence of congenital syphilis in Colombia ( 2014-2021) quadrupled: it went from 0.9 x 1000 live births in 2014 to 3.3 x 1000 in 2021, with an average incidence rate of congenital syphilis of 1.7 per thousand births. This same behavior had gestational syphilis, with rates between 5.1 (2014) and 17.1 x 1000 live births (2021). The proportion of congenital-gestational syphilis cases increased from 17.1% in 2014 to 20.8% in 2015, representing a 12.3% increase in this indicator.

CONCLUSIONS:

Given the increase in the incidence of gestational and congenital syphilis in Colombia, the need to propose strategies different from those currently in place in the programs for the elimination of these infections is evident.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )