BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the epidemiology of syphilis in West Africa, where this infection is routinely screened in antenatal clinics to prevent congenital infection. In order to inform control programmes, the burden of active syphilis was estimated among pregnant women and adults in Burkina Faso. METHODS: This study enrolled 2136 pregnant women from 98 healthcare facilities and 1679 consenting women and men from the general population of Ouagadougou, the capital city. After a face-to-face interview on demographic characteristics, blood samples were collected and tested for syphilis. Active syphilis was defined by a dually positive result on rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidum haemagglutination antibody tests. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of active syphilis was 1.7% (95% CI 1.3 to 2.2), with similar rates between women (1.2%, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.3) and men (1.8%, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.0) in Ouagadougou, and a trend for higher prevalence among pregnant women from semi-urban areas (2.2%, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.5) compared with rural areas (1.7%, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4, p = 0.06). The prevalence tended to be higher among women aged 20-24 years (2.6%, 95% CI 1.3 to 7.6) and men aged 30-34 years (3.9%, 95% CI 0.8 to 11.0) than at other ages. However, age, marital status, location and education were not associated with syphilis. CONCLUSION: The low prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women and the adult general population is very encouraging but should not challenge the amount of resources dedicated to sexually transmitted infection and HIV prevention.
BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the epidemiology of syphilis in West Africa, where this infection is routinely screened in antenatal clinics to prevent congenital infection. In order to inform control programmes, the burden of active syphilis was estimated among pregnant women and adults in Burkina Faso. METHODS: This study enrolled 2136 pregnant women from 98 healthcare facilities and 1679 consenting women and men from the general population of Ouagadougou, the capital city. After a face-to-face interview on demographic characteristics, blood samples were collected and tested for syphilis. Active syphilis was defined by a dually positive result on rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidum haemagglutination antibody tests. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of active syphilis was 1.7% (95% CI 1.3 to 2.2), with similar rates between women (1.2%, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.3) and men (1.8%, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.0) in Ouagadougou, and a trend for higher prevalence among pregnant women from semi-urban areas (2.2%, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.5) compared with rural areas (1.7%, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4, p = 0.06). The prevalence tended to be higher among women aged 20-24 years (2.6%, 95% CI 1.3 to 7.6) and men aged 30-34 years (3.9%, 95% CI 0.8 to 11.0) than at other ages. However, age, marital status, location and education were not associated with syphilis. CONCLUSION: The low prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women and the adult general population is very encouraging but should not challenge the amount of resources dedicated to sexually transmitted infection and HIV prevention.
Authors: Li-Gang Yang; Joseph D Tucker; Feng-Ying Liu; Xu-Qi Ren; Xuan Hong; Cheng Wang; Megan M McLaughlin; Cedric H Bien; Xiang-Sheng Chen; Bin Yang Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-08-29 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Joel Manyahi; Boniphace S Jullu; Mathias I Abuya; James Juma; Joel Ndayongeje; Bonita Kilama; Veryeh Sambu; Josef Nondi; Bernard Rabiel; Geoffrey Somi; Mecky I Matee Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2015-05-22 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Cyrille Bisseye; Mahamoudou Sanou; Bolni Marius Nagalo; Alice Kiba; Tegwindé Rebeca Compaoré; Issoufou Tao; Jacques Simpore Journal: Pan Afr Med J Date: 2013-10-28