A routine antenatal check-up at a telehealth-supported primary health centre in Manipur detected syphilis in a pregnant woman and started treatment. The case underlines how digital primary care can curb congenital infection risks in remote areas.
Digital healthcare support helped detect and begin treatment for syphilis in a 25-year-old pregnant woman during a routine antenatal check-up at a primary health centre in a remote part of Manipur, a healthcare provider said.
The intervention reduced the risk of the infection being passed on to her unborn child.
The woman, from Miran village, visited an Apollo TeleHealth-supported primary health centre, where routine pregnancy screening found syphilis, a bacterial sexually transmitted infection that can pass from a mother to her baby if it is not treated.
Her laboratory report was then validated through Apollo TeleHealth’s digital quality assurance system.
After the result was confirmed, she was counselled, referred for confirmatory testing and her treatment was started. She has received the first of the recommended weekly Benzathine Penicillin injections.
Her husband also tested positive and was given treatment to prevent reinfection.
Apollo TeleHealth said congenital syphilis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, newborn death and lifelong physical and developmental disabilities.
An obstetric ultrasound has been advised for the woman as she could not recall her exact last menstrual period.
She will continue to be monitored at the e-PHC, with repeat serological testing planned after treatment to assess her response.
The initiative, run by Apollo TeleHealth in partnership with the Manipur government, has served more than 6,000 patients and facilitated over 10,000 teleconsultations, besides supporting more than 1,500 antenatal care visits.
Women account for 56 per cent of its beneficiaries and men 44 per cent.