Safety Notice: Syphilis cases in Pregnancy increasing. New recommendations for antenatal screening.

Recommendations have changed for syphillis screening during pregnancy following an increase in case numbers across NSW. Cases have been reported even amongst population groups that were not previously considered to be high risk. A safety notice has been distributed to NSW Health, advising clinicians to screen antenatal women twice during pregnancy. The recommeded times for screening during pregnancy are at initial pregnancy screening and repeated again at 26-28 weeks gestation. The safety notice can viewed in full via the Clinical Excellence Commission.