Prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis: a national multicentre STI survey in New Caledonia, 2012

Abstract

ObjectivesTo estimate prevalence and identify sociodemographic risk factors for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Treponema pallidum infections in New Caledonia.MethodA national cross-sectional survey was undertaken using a three-stage random sampling of general practice surgeries and public dispensaries. Participants were included through opportunistic screening and using a systematic step for selection. The study sample was weighted to the general population aged 18–49 years. Prevalence and risk factors were calculated by logistic regression.ResultsCT was the most common sexually transmitted infection, with a prevalence of 9% (95% CI 6.6% to %11.4), followed by NG 3.5% (95% CI 1.9% to 5.1%), previous or latent syphilis 3% (95% CI 1.7% to 4.3%), NG and CT co-infection 2.1% (95% CI 0.8% to 3.3%) and active syphilis 0.4% (95% CI 0.0% to 0.9%). Being from a young age group (18–25 years), being single, having a low level of education and province of residence were all associated with higher prevalence of all three STIs. Being of Melanesian origin was associated with higher prevalence of both CT and NG. There was a significant interaction between ethnic group and province of residence for prevalence of CT. Female gender was associated with higher prevalence of CT.ConclusionsThe prevalence of CT was similar to estimates from other healthcare-based surveys from the Pacific, but higher for NG and lower for active syphilis infection. All sexually transmitted infections estimates were much higher than those found in population-based surveys from Europe and the USA. The sociodemographic risk factors identified in this study will help guide targeted prevention and control strategies in New Caledonia.

Regional differences in chlamydia and gonorrhoeae positivity rate among heterosexual STI clinic visitors in the Netherlands: contribution of client and regional characteristics as assessed by cross-sectional surveillance data

“…Low/intermediate level of education was independently associated with Ct and/or Ng positivity and contributed strongly to regional variance, which confirms previous studies 15 17. We advise to include education as a triage criterion into the STI clinic access policy, as persons with low/intermediate education are under-represented at STI clinics (33%) compared with 70% in the general Dutch population 4…”

Chlamydia trachomatis infection prevalence and serovar distribution in a high-density urban area in the north of Italy

“…This figure is in agreement with European reports about the epidemiology of CT infections, stating that the proportion of positive CT tests is generally 5-10 % in sexually active young people (ECDC, 2015) and it is similar to other surveys conducted in different countries worldwide (Yang et al, 2014;Corsenac et al, 2015;Samarawickrema et al, 2015) Overall, in our population, three-quarters of CT infections were diagnosed in the STI Outpatients Clinic (74 %) and the remainder were almost equally distributed among gynaecological clinics (15.2 %) and general practitioners (10.8 %). When comparing CT infection prevalence in the three subgroups, CT positivity in gynaecological clinics was the lowest, although this setting contributed more than one-third of the total subjects tested.…”

Stages of syphilis in South China – a multilevel analysis of early diagnosis

“…On the other hand, individuals with lower education level were more likely to have misconceptions about STDs (for example, a belief that permanent immunity followed an STD infection) and unaware of co-infection and transmission risk during asymptomatic periods, [ 22 ] which might be the reasons for more delayed diagnoses than those with higher education level. Their association with higher syphilis prevalence and incidence as shown in the previous studies [ 7 , 23 ] further highlighted the importance of this subgroup for syphilis prevention and control.…”