High prevalence of syphilis among demobilized child soldiers in Eastern Congo: a cross-sectional study

Senga, Raphaël; Lutala, Prosper

doi:10.1186/1752-1505-5-16

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent estimates of syphilis in child soldiers (aged <18) in the eastern Congo showed a prevalence of 3.4%, with an even distribution in men and women. 33 Additionally, estimates ranged between 0.4% and 4.0% in a recent report on river dwelling persons and internally displaced women in the eastern part of DRC. 34 However, a 2004 study of 525 women in antenatal clinics in Kinshasa (the same location as the current study) identified no active syphilis infections, and a more recent study in 2011 of women in antenatal clinics ( n = 1840) found a screening prevalence of 2.0%, suggesting that the prevalence of syphilis in women residing in Kinshasa may be very low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

HIV infection and risk factors among the armed forces personnel stationed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite recent declines in HIV incidence, sub-Saharan Africa remains the most heavily affected region in the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Estimates of HIV prevalence in African military personnel are scarce and inconsistent. We conducted a serosurvey between June and September 2007 among 4043 Armed Forces personnel of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) stationed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to determine the prevalence of HIV and syphilis infections and describe associated risk behaviours. Participants provided blood for HIV and syphilis testing and responded to a demographic and risk factor questionnaire. The prevalence of HIV was 3.8% and the prevalence of syphilis was 11.9%. Women were more likely than men to be HIV positive, (7.5% vs. 3.6% respectively, aOR: 1.66, 95% C.I: 1.21-2.28, p < 0.05). Factors significantly associated with HIV infection included gender and self-reported genital ulcers in the 12 months before date of enrollment. The prevalence of HIV in the military appears to be higher than the general population in DRC (3.8% vs. 1.3%, respectively), with women at increased risk of infection.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

HIV infection and risk factors among the armed forces personnel stationed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Countries which border on Angola present a high rate of seroprevalence for syphilis. A study undertaken in 2011 and published in 2014 among women attending pre-natal clinics showed that the Democratic Republic of Congo presented a rate of seroprevalence of 4,2% and among demobilized soldiers it was 3, 4%, with an equal distribution in relation to sex and location [17,18]. The prevalence of syphilis observed in Zambia was 9,3% 0,4% in Botswana [14,19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Syphilis in Blood Donors in Angola from 2011 to 2016

Quintas¹,

Cogle²,

Dias³

et al. 2018

Clin Med Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: transfusion-associated infections mainly caused by bacteria or virus among blood donors are of concern to public health. Blood transfusion practices around the world emphasize safety and the protection of human life.Objectives: the aim of this study, is to identify positive serology for syphilis in blood donors.Methodology: A retrospective descriptive study of prevalence was made. We analyzed the database of records of blood donors, screened from 2011 to 2016, with positive syphilis serologies. The demographic data was recorded and analyzed using SPSS software, version 22.0.Results: out of a total of 2734 donors, 436 (20%) had positive syphilis serology. The majority (88%) 384 were men and 52 (12%) women. Ages ranged between 18 and 64 years, with an average of 31.95 ± 8.9.Conclusion: in this study, a seroprevalence rate of 20% was observed for positive syphilis serology, which means the impact of the disease on donors is high, this suggests that screening should be reinforced.

show abstract

“…In addition to and often interacting with psychological distress, former child soldiers often have developed serious medical conditions. Some children have had war-related injuries and disabilities, others have shown visible evidence of torture, and the occurrence of sexually transmittable diseases has generally been high (Amone P’Olak, 2009; Senga & Lutala, 2011; Wessells, 2006).…”

Section: Vulnerable and Resilient Children In A Hazardous Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Former Child Soldiers’ Problems and Needs

Johannessen

Holgersen

2013

Qual Health Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With this article, we explore how staff working at transit centers and vocational training centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the problems and needs of former child soldiers. We argued that the staff's experience of the children's daily lives and their understanding of the sociocultural context of the conflict make their perspective a valuable source of information when trying to understand the phenomenon of child soldiering. Additionally, we reasoned that how the staff frame these children's problems influences how they attempt to aid the children. We conducted 11 semistructured interviews and analyzed these using a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach. We clustered our findings around six themes: unfavorable contextual factors, acting as if still in the army, addiction, symptoms of psychopathology, social rejection, and reintegration needs. The overarching message we observed was that the informants experienced that former child soldiers require help to be transformed into civilians who participate proactively in their society.

show abstract

High prevalence of syphilis among demobilized child soldiers in Eastern Congo: a cross-sectional study

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

HIV infection and risk factors among the armed forces personnel stationed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

HIV infection and risk factors among the armed forces personnel stationed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Prevalence of Syphilis in Blood Donors in Angola from 2011 to 2016

Former Child Soldiers’ Problems and Needs

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About