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- Title
High prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a remote, undertreated population of Namibian pastoralists.
- Authors
HAZEL, A.; PONNALURI-WEARS, S.; DAVIS, G. S.; LOW, B. S.; FOXMAN, B.
- Abstract
The highly remote pastoralist communities in Kaokoland, Namibia, have long been presumed to have high gonorrhoea prevalence. To estimate gonorrhoea prevalence and correlates of infection, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 446 adults across 28 rural villages. Gonorrhoea status was determined from urethral and vaginal swabs via qPCR assay. All participants answered a closed-ended interview about demographics, sexual behaviour and symptom history. Sixteen per cent of participants had high-level infections (⩾ID50 dose) and 48% had low-level infections (<ID50 dose). Women had higher prevalence than men of both high- and low-level infections. High-level infections were regionally and seasonally clustered, occurring in young adults in the Ehama region during the winter. Low-level infections were distributed homogenously across demographic characteristics, season, and region. All low-level infections and most high-level infections (men 78%, women 95%) were asymptomatic and left untreated. The epidemic-like nature of high-level gonorrhoea cases suggests that intervention efforts can be focused on seasons of high social activity.
- Subjects
KAOKOLAND (Namibia); NEISSERIA gonorrhoeae; BIOLOGICAL assay; DISEASE prevalence; CROSS-sectional method; DEMOGRAPHIC surveys; EPIDEMIOLOGY
- Publication
Epidemiology & Infection, 2014, Vol 142, Issue 11, p2422
- ISSN
0950-2688
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0950268813003488