Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Jul;6(7):517-25.
doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2001.00738.x.

Prevalence of HIV and Chlamydia trachomatis infection in 15--19-year olds in rural Tanzania

A I Obasi  1 , R Balira, J Todd, D A Ross, J Changalucha, F Mosha, H Grosskurth, R Peeling, D C Mabey, R J Hayes
Affiliations
Free article

Prevalence of HIV and Chlamydia trachomatis infection in 15--19-year olds in rural Tanzania

A I Obasi et al. Trop Med Int Health. 2001 Jul.
Free article

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of HIV and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections amongst adolescents in rural Mwanza Region, Tanzania and their association with demographic variables.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional survey.

Methods: All 15--19-year olds living in households selected by random cluster sampling were invited to participate. After interview, urine was tested for HIV and CT.

Results: 9445 15--19-year olds were enrolled. HIV prevalence was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4--0.8%) in males and 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0--2.8%) in females, and increased steeply with age (trend: P < 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). After adjustment for age, risk of HIV infection was significantly associated with female sex (OR=4.3), never having been to primary school in males (OR=2.7), and current symptoms of genital discharge (OR=2.3) or genital ulcer (OR=5.3) in females. The prevalence of CT was 1.0% (95% CI: 0.8--1.4%) in males and 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0-2.9%) in females. After adjustment for age, CT infection was associated with female sex (OR=2.4), reported current symptoms of STD (males OR=2.5, females OR=1.9) and positive leucocyte esterase (LE) test (males OR=3.1, females OR=2.6). Eighty-two percent of males and 79% of females with CT were asymptomatic. There was no association between CT and HIV infection in either sex.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of HIV and CT amongst adolescents, especially young women, in this rural population, highlighting the need for effective interventions to improve adolescent reproductive health. The high rates of asymptomatic infection imply that innovative strategies are needed to reach and treat young people with STD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types