Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in women attending antenatal care in Tete province, Mozambique
Abstract
Objective. To determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis
(CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and syphilis in pregnant
women.
Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among women
attending antenatal care clinics (ANCs). Blood samples were
tested for syphilis using the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and
treponemal haemagglutination (TPHA) tests; CT and NG
were diagnosed using a manual polymerase chain reaction
assay on first-void urine samples. A socio-demographic
questionnaire was completed. Results were compared with
previous published data on sexually transmitted infection (STI)
prevalence in Mozambique.
Results. Blood and urine samples were collected from 1 119
and 835 women, respectively. The prevalence of CT was 4.1%,
and that of NG 2.5%. The RPR test was positive in 5.2% of the
women, and 7.1% had a positive TPHA test. Active syphilis
was found in 4.7%. In univariate analysis, CT was associated
with having had any level of education (p<0.05), reactive RPR
and TPHA were associated with illiteracy (p<0.05), and TPHA
was associated with age >25. Multivariate analysis did not
show any significant association. In comparison with published
data from 1993, a decline was observed for CT (p<0.05), NG
and syphilis (p<0.001).
Conclusions. Compared with available data, a decline of STI
prevalence was observed in our setting. This might be the
result of community-based education programmes focusing on
changes to sexual behaviour, as well as the widespread use of
the syndromic approach to managing STIs and the expansion
of syphilis screening in primary health care settings. However,
STI rates are still high, and the problem needs more concrete
and sustained efforts for its control
SAMJ Vol. 98 (1) 2008: pp. 48-51
