Syphilis and HIV prevalence and associated factors to their co-infection, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses prevalence among female sex workers in Rwanda

Abstract

BackgroundHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), syphilis, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and share modes of transmission. These infections are generally more prevalent among female sex workers (FSWs).MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study conducted among female sex workers (FSWs) in Rwanda in 2015. Venue-Day-Time (VDT) sampling method was used in recruiting participants. HIV, syphilis, HBV, and HCV testing were performed. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression models were computed.ResultsIn total, 1978 FSWs were recruited. The majority (58.5%) was aged between 20 and 29 years old. Up to 63.9% of FSWs were single, 62.3% attained primary school, and 68.0% had no additional occupation beside sex work. Almost all FSWs (81.2%) had children. The majority of FSWs (68.4%) were venue-based, and most (53.5%) had spent less than five years in sex work. The overall prevalence of syphilis was 51.1%; it was 2.5% for HBV, 1.4% for HCV, 42.9% for HIV and 27.4% for syphilis/HIV co-infection. The prevalence of syphilis, HIV, and syphilis + HIV co-infection was increasing with age and decreasing with the level of education. A positive association with syphilis/HIV co-infection was found in: 25 years and older (aOR = 1.82 [95% CI:1.33–2.50]), having had a genital sore in the last 12 months (aOR = 1.34 [95% CI:1.05–1.71]), and having HBsAg-positive test (aOR = 2.09 [1.08–4.08]).ConclusionThe prevalence of HIV and syphilis infections and HIV/syphilis co-infection are very high among FSWs in Rwanda. A strong, specific prevention program for FSWs and to avert HIV infection and other STIs transmission to their clients is needed.

Prevalence and associated factors of Treponema pallidum infection in a rural area of southwestern China

“…Intravenous drug users (IDUs) had a higher prevalence of syphilis, which is consistent with the results from previous studies [17][18][19]. T. pallidum, HIV, HCV and HBV infections share common modes of transmission, leading to co-infections [20,21]. Syphilis could generate genital ulcers and increase the likelihood of HIV virus shedding [21,22].…”

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis B and C Viruses Among Couples Attending Antenatal Care in a Rural Community in Rwanda

“…Our finding of an HCV prevalence rate of 1.8% is substantially lower than other surveys conducted in Rwanda, which report HCV prevalence rates of 3.1% in the general population, 4.7% in HIV-infected adults and 9.6% in patients attending Rwanda Military Hospital. 7,21,39,46 However our findings are consistent with the HCV prevalence rates of 1.3% and 1.4% reported in Rwandan health care workers 40 and commercial sex workers, 39 respectively. We conjecture that these variations in HCV infection rates within Rwanda reflect the tendency of HCV to cluster within population subgroups and geographic areas.…”

“…Studies from Rwanda report that the prevalence of HBsAg was 2.9% in health care workers 38 and 2.5% in commercial sex workers. 39 Surveys of HIV-infected adults from urban Uganda and Western Kenya report HBsAg prevalence rates of greater than 4%. 40,41 These differences may be explained by the low-risk profile of our study's rural participants, compared to that of population groups known to be at elevated risk of HBV transmission.…”

Clinical Analysis of Patients with Early HIV Infection in a Low Prevalance Region: Case Series and Review of the Literature

“…It has been reported that syphilis has increased in recent years in the United States and that the number of patients rose from 15.9 to 27.4 per 100.000 population from 2012 to 2016 [26] . There are also studies reporting that HIV-syphilis co-infection rate is as high as 27% among female sex workers [27] .…”