The School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University has announced a $6.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study new methods of preventing mother-to-child-transmission of syphilis.

The study, which will be conducted in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will look at barriers to care, including stigmatization of individuals with a sexually transmitted disease, lack of awareness of STDs among healthcare providers, limited access to testing equipment, and scarcity of antibiotic treatments. The study also will evaluate a multifaceted intervention designed to provide rapid point-of-care tests and treatment kits along with reminders, monitoring, and feedback to health providers.

The data center for the study, which is part of a global effort to find better ways to implement effective health solutions in low- and middle-income countries, will be located at the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy in Argentina. In addition, the World Health Organization will provide technical support for the project.

Nearly 1.5 million pregnant women are infected with syphilis each year. If untreated, the disease significantly increases the risks for stillbirths and other adverse outcomes.

"The study will provide a unique opportunity to find better ways to implement screening and treatment for syphilis in pregnancy and to improve prenatal care," said Dr. Pierre Buekens, principal investigator and dean of SPHTM. "We believe that the increased use of syphilis screening and treatment will improve outcomes and significantly reduce the number of congenital syphilis cases."