Intravaginal practices among a cohort of rural Malawian women

Esber, Allahna; Turner, Abigail Norris; Mopiwa, Gladson; Norris, Alison

doi:10.1071/sh15139

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…These findings are higher than those obtained by Payne et al (2020) in Dschang (17.08%) and Diagne et al (2019) in Senegal (21%). Moreover, they are also higher than those obtained by Esber et al (2016) in Malawi; 51%. The differences in reported prevalence in different countries could be due to environmental, behavioral, socio-economic status and the screening techniques used were different between studies.…”

Section: The Prevalence and Risks Factors Of Gardnerella Species Infe...contrasting

confidence: 55%

Bacterial vaginosis due To Gardnerella Species and Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Women of Reproductive Age at Mbalmayo District Hospital, Cameroon

Chantal

2023

IJCSMR

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Objectives: Bacterial vaginosis is the most prevalent genital infection, characterized by malodorous vaginal discharge, and has arisen as a public health concern due to its link to sexually transmitted illnesses. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of Gardnerella species’ bacterial vaginosis and the risk factors related with this infection in childbearing women at the Hospital of District of Mbalmayo. Methodology: A questionnaire was administered before each vaginal swab sample was obtained. Gardnerella species’ bacterial vaginosis was classified as a Nugent score of 7 to 10, and the presence of clue cells. Results The findings were as follows: 210 women were enrolled in this study. The average age was 29.42±5.15 years, with extremes ranging from 18 to 49 years. The age group with the highest representation (38.67%) was 26-33 years. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 42.85% (90/210), with Gardnerella species present at 90% (81/90) and Mobiluncus species present at 3.33%. The 18-25 age group was more susceptible to Gardnerella species infections (35.80%), although the student group was the most affected (32.09%), and the difference was not statistically significant. With a prevalence of 44.44%, the single group was statistically significantly more exposed to this vaginal infection than the other groups. University-level women had a higher prevalence of Gardnerella species infection (54.32%), followed by secondary-level women (37.03%). Gardnerella species vaginosis was found in both pregnant and non-pregnant women (38.27% and 61.72%, respectively). Conclusion: To avoid future obstetric difficulties, this infection must be effectively managed therapeutically.

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Section: The Prevalence and Risks Factors Of Gardnerella Species Infe...contrasting

confidence: 55%

Bacterial vaginosis due To Gardnerella Species and Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Women of Reproductive Age at Mbalmayo District Hospital, Cameroon

Chantal

2023

IJCSMR

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“…Child Legacy International serves a catchment area of 68 rural villages (~18 000 people) in the central region of Malawi. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 Participants were limited to patients suspected of having active pulmonary tuberculosis disease based on clinical symptoms (i.e. fever, chills, night sweats, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough ≥ 2 weeks, loss of weight, fatigue), who were ≥ 18 years of age, capable of providing informed written consent, and able to provide sputum.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-cost diagnostic test for susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis in rural Malawi

Zhang

Jumbe

Krysiak³

et al. 2018

Afr. J. Lab. Med.

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BackgroundRural settings where molecular tuberculosis diagnostics are not currently available need easy-to-use tests that do not require additional processing or equipment. While acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear is the most common and often only tuberculosis diagnosis test performed in rural settings, it is labour intensive, has less-than-ideal sensitivity, and cannot assess tuberculosis drug susceptibility patterns.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of a multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-tuberculosis coloured agar-based culture test (tuberculosis CX-test), which can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth and evaluate for drug susceptibility to isoniazid, rifampicin and a fluoroquinolone (i.e. ciprofloxacin) in approximately 14 days.MethodIn this study, 101 participants were enrolled who presented to a rural health clinic in central Malawi. They were suspected of having active pulmonary tuberculosis. Participants provided demographic and clinical data and submitted sputum samples for tuberculosis testing using the AFB smear and tuberculosis CX-test.ResultsThe results showed a high level of concordance between the AFB smear (12 positive) and tuberculosis CX-test (13 positive); only one sample presented discordant results, with the molecular GeneXpert MTB/RIF® test confirming the tuberculosis CX-test results. The average time to a positive tuberculosis CX-test was 10 days. Of the positive samples, the tuberculosis CX-test detected no cases of drug resistance, which was later confirmed by the GeneXpert MTB/RIF®.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate that the tuberculosis CX-test could be a reliable low-cost diagnostic method for active pulmonary tuberculosis in high tuberculosis burden rural areas.

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“…Anti-bacterial wipes, washes/gels, douches and baby wipes were identified as regularly used products in a large, Canadian, cross-sectional survey (Crann et al, 2018). Other common practices found were the use of wet wipes (Farage & Bramante, 2006), the insertion of a washcloth or tissue to wash the vagina and internal cleansing with soap and water (Esber et al, 2016;Ness et al, 2002). A relatively new, anti-microbial gel wash containing lactic acid is widely available (Bruning et al, 2020) but levels of usage have not yet been studied.…”

Section: How Do Women Wash Their Vulva and Vagina?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The microbiota of the vulva and vagina: Ways of washing to optimise the protective function of the vulvo-vaginal microbiota during pregnancy

Banga¹

2021

nzcomjnl

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Background: The microbiota of the vulva and vagina has a crucial protective function, which is important for all women and has particular significance in pregnancy. Yet this microbiota is part of a delicately balanced ecosystem, susceptible to extrinsic factors which include the simple matter of how women wash themselves. Clinical observation and anecdotal evidence indicate that women in Aotearoa New Zealand have washing practices that may compromise the naturally acidic vulvo-vaginal environment crucial to optimising the protective function of the microbiota. Aims: The aims of this review are: to determine if there is dissonance between how women are washing their vulva and vagina and recommended washing practices; and to raise awareness of the emerging significance of the vulvo-vaginal microbiota to women’s health, particularly in pregnancy. Method: A literature review was undertaken to discover what is reported (in the published literature) about the ways women wash themselves, products used, and their effect on the vulvo-vaginal microbiota. The evidence behind the “wash with water” recommendation was investigated. Findings: There is a lack of primary research on ways of vaginal washing used by women in Aotearoa New Zealand. Globally, women are routinely using a variety of products that include soap, anti-bacterial wipes, gels and baby wipes, and invasive vaginal washing practices such as douching, flannel scrubs and internal soap cleansing. All washing products, including gentle soap but excluding lactic-acid based gels, alter pH levels when used on either the vulva or the vagina. Washing practices that alter vaginal pH levels can cause a microbial shift into a sub-optimal state that compromises the protective function of the vulvo-vaginal microbiota and is more susceptible to bacterial vaginosis and group B streptococcus vaginal colonisation. The frequency and duration within suboptimal states may be predictors of risk. Conclusion: There is dissonance between the ways women wash their vulva and vagina, and evidence-based advice to just wash with water. The back-to-basics message “just wash with water” promotes a way of washing that optimises the protective function of the vulvo-vaginal microbiota, while also protecting the integrity of vulval skin, and supporting physiological self-cleaning of the vagina.

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Intravaginal practices among a cohort of rural Malawian women

Abstract: IVP are highly prevalent and frequently performed among these rural Malawian women. Future research should investigate the associations between IVP and sexually transmissible infection prevalence.

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Bacterial vaginosis due To Gardnerella Species and Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Women of Reproductive Age at Mbalmayo District Hospital, Cameroon

Bacterial vaginosis due To Gardnerella Species and Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Women of Reproductive Age at Mbalmayo District Hospital, Cameroon

Low-cost diagnostic test for susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis in rural Malawi

The microbiota of the vulva and vagina: Ways of washing to optimise the protective function of the vulvo-vaginal microbiota during pregnancy

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