Associations between Awareness of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Prevalence of STIs among Sub-Saharan African Men and Women

Abstract

Treatments for HIV and other STIs are not readily available in sub-Saharan Africa and other resource-limited areas, where the prevalence of HIV and other STIs is high. In the absence of treatment and laboratory infrastructure to monitor treatment efficacy, increasing awareness of STIs and STI screening are crucial components of STI prevention programs. In the current study, we sought to estimate the awareness of STIs in resource-limited countries and evaluate the strength of the association between the awareness of STIs and STIs infection. We did a secondary analysis of data obtained from 2019 women and 794 men enrolled in a community-based study that was conducted from November 2002 to March 2003 in the Moshi Urban District of Northern Tanzania. We found gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS were well-known among the study participants. However, their awareness of other STIs, including herpes, was very low. We also found that the awareness of STIs was not associated with STIs in men, but women who had prior knowledge of gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV had a twofold higher risk of testing positive for an STI. Education programs aimed at increasing awareness of STIs are needed in the region. The majority of the existing STI education programs in the region focus exclusively on HIV/AIDS. The expansion of the existing AIDS/HIV education programs needs to be strengthened to include information about other STIs.

Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Associated Factors Among Young Adult Female Students at Higher Learning Institutions in Mbeya, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Similar to other reported research findings, 16,30,40,41,48 our study revealed that multiple infections were quite common, occurring in more than half (59%) of the participants. These multiple infections involved various pathogens, including CT, UU, UP, MH and MG; and specifically, CT infection that was often found to occur with UU, UP, MG, and MH infections.…”

“…Our findings consolidate the argument of the extent of effectiveness of the syndromic approach for STI management in LMICs, especially in SSA. 1,40,41 At present, WHO recommends the use of point-of-care test for STIs which is either rapid or molecular, and that is cost-effective and affordable in LMICs like Tanzania. 2,42,43 Importantly, accurate detection and effective treatment are essential in reducing the transmission and impact of these infections for individuals affected by STIs.…”

“…41,44 A high number of STI cases were reported previously from Tanzania (12.7%), Uganda (4.5%) and Kenya (13.42%), especially CT, which is not routinely screened in the East African regional setting. 16,30,40,41,48 Multiple infections can lead to more complex health challenges and may significantly impact overall sexual health and well-being. 41,44,[46][47][48] In the recent studies conducted in Indonesian and Mongolian women, reports have shown that genital Mycoplasma and Ureaplasmas are commonly found in the urogenital tracts of healthy females, sometimes not as genitourinary commensals in asymptomatic, and symptomatic both men and women.…”

“…2,3,9 In addition, both MH and UU were present in 38% of the population associated with non-gonococcal urethritis compared to 46.2% in Chinese females, 5 however, a lower prevalence of these infections was reported before following an asymptomatic nature, particularly in LMIC. 1,40,41 More than half of the participants were diagnosed with any STIs despite showing no obvious symptoms, it became evident that the majority of these STIs were underreported when following a syndromic approach to diagnosis. Remarkably, multiple infections were commonly 59.0% in the young adult…”

Characterization of Self-reported Improvements in Knowledge and Health Among Users of Flo Period Tracking App: Cross-sectional Survey

“…Poor period education results in a lack of knowledge about menstrual cycle norms; menstrual hygiene; gynecological conditions and their symptoms; and sexual health (eg, contraception and STIs). Specifically, according to the World Bank classification, LMICs have the highest prevalence of STIs (eg, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis), and the awareness of STIs other than HIV in those countries is very low [ 74 - 76 ]. Therefore, menstrual and sexual health apps, together with systemic governmental and societal education efforts, can mitigate long-term repercussions of poor health literacy, thereby decreasing unfavorable health outcomes such as infertility, abortions, preterm delivery, and perinatal and neonatal morbidities and helping with cutting health care costs associated with STI treatment [ 77 - 80 ].…”