Prevalence of and risk factors for curable sexually transmitted infections on Bubaque Island, Guinea Bissau
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Authors
Cowley, Giovanna
Milne, Gregory
Silva, Eunice Teixeira da
Nakutum, Jose
Rodrigues, Amabelia
Vasileva, Hristina
Mabey, David
Versteeg, Bart
Last, Anna
Issue Date
2020-04-28
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Epidemiology (General) , Risk Factors , Genital Tract Infection , Africa
Alternative Title
Abstract
Objectives:
Complications from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can result in severe morbidity and mortality. To date, no STI population studies have been conducted on the Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), Neisseria gonorrhoea (Ng), Mycoplasma genitalium (Mg), Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) and Treponema pallidum (Tp) on Bubaque, the most populated island.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the island of Bubaque among people aged 16–49 years. Participants were asked to answer a questionnaire on STI risk factors, to provide urine samples (men and women) and vaginal swabs (women) for PCR testing for Ct, Ng, Mg and Tv, and to provide dry blood spots for Tp particle agglutination assays. Data were analysed to estimate the prevalence of STIs and logistic regression was used to identify risk factors.
Results:
In total, 14.9% of participants were found to have a curable STI, with the highest prevalence being observed for Tv (5.9%) followed by Ct (3.8%), Ng (3.8%), Mg (1.9%) and Tp (0.8%). Significant risk factors for having any STI included being female, younger age and concurrent partnership. Having had a previous STI that was optimally treated was a protective factor.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that there is a considerable burden of STI on the Bijagos Islands, stressing the need for diagnostic testing to facilitate early detection and treatment of these pathogens to stop ongoing transmission. Moreover, these results indicate the need to conduct further research into the STI burden on the Bijagos Islands to help inform and develop a national STI control strategy.
Description
Citation
Cowley, G., Milne, G., Teixeira da Silva, E., Nakutum, J., Rodrigues, A., Vasileva, H., Mabey, D., Versteeg, B., & Last, A. (2021). Prevalence of and risk factors for curable sexually transmitted infections on Bubaque Island, Guinea Bissau. Sexually transmitted infections, 97(1), 51–55. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2019-054351
Publisher
Sexually Transmitted Infections