Prevalence and factors associated with trichomonas vaginalis infection among female sex workers in Togo, 2017

Trichomonas vaginalis and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital, Oromia Region, Southern Ethiopia

Trichomoniasis is caused by a flagellated protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It is one of the most common, curable nonsexually transmitted infections globally. In Ethiopia, complications associated with genital infection in pregnant women are a common problem. Despite the burden of the disease, epidemiological data related to this disease is currently rare in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Objective. This research is aimed at assessing the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 196 pregnant women attending ANC at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital. Structured questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic and associated factor data. The consecutive sampling technique was used to include study participants. The two vaginal swabs were collected by brushing the vagina with a sterile cotton swab and tested by using direct wet mount and the Giemsa staining. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 for logistic regression analysis. A p value < 0.05 with 95% CI was used to declare it statistically significant. Result. An overall prevalence of T. vaginalis among pregnant women was 7.7% (95% with confidence interval (CI), 0.043-0.123). The highest prevalence was observed among the 35-39-year-old age group with 18.2% and among widowed women with 25%. This study revealed that the number of sexual partners (AOR: 3.215, 95% CI: 1.062-9.731) was a significant associated factor of T. vaginalis.Conclusion. The prevalence of T. vaginalis was considerably high among pregnant women in this study. This finding emphasizes the need for routine screening and treatment of pregnant women in the first antenatal care and enhances the need for regular health education for pregnant women at antenatal clinics to make them aware of their health, and avoidance of the risk of trichomoniasis is advised.

High burden of self-reported sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Togo in 2021

Background

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) remain a public health challenge, especially for Female Sex Workers (FSW) who are particularly vulnerable. In sub-Saharan Africa where the overlapping epidemics of STI and HIV are concentrated among key populations, epidemiological data are needed in order to better understand STI trends in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of self-reported STI symptoms and their risk factors among FSW in Togo in 2021.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was completed in June and July 2021 among FSW in two cities of Togo: in Lomé (capital city, south of Togo) and in Kara (north of Togo). A snowball sampling method was used and after consent, a standardized questionnaire was administered by trained research staff to collect information on STI. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with self-reported STI.

Results

A total of 447 FSW, 300 in Lomé and 147 in Kara participated in this study. Median age was 30 [IQR: 24–38] and STI symptoms in the previous 12 months were reported by 191 FSW [42.7%, 95% CI: (38.1–47.5)], among whom 116 (60.7%) sought medical care. The most common reported symptoms were abnormal vaginal discharge (n = 78; 67.2%) and vaginal itching (n = 68; 58.6%). Current STI symptoms (at the time of the survey) were reported by 88 FSW (19.7%). In multivariable logistic regression, self-reported STI symptoms in the previous 12 months was negatively associated with living in the Lomé and older age and positively associated with having more than 15 clients in the previous week and being victim of violence.

Conclusions

Findings from this study reveal that the self-reported STI burden is relatively high among FSW Togo. Additional strategies are needed at the structural, medical, political and social levels to curb this trend and effectively aim at the elimination of STI epidemics by the year 2030.