Prevalence of and risk factors for curable sexually transmitted infections on Bubaque Island, Guinea Bissau.

OBJECTIVES: Complications from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can result in severe morbidity and mortality. To date, no STI population studies have been conducted on the Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), Neisseria gonorrhoea (Ng), Mycoplasma genitalium (Mg), Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) and Treponema pallidum (Tp) on Bubaque, the most populated island. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the island of Bubaque among people aged 16-49 years. Participants were asked to answer a questionnaire on STI risk factors, to provide urine samples (men and women) and vaginal swabs (women) for PCR testing for Ct, Ng, Mg and Tv, and to provide dry blood spots for Tp particle agglutination assays. Data were analysed to estimate the prevalence of STIs and logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. RESULTS: In total, 14.9% of participants were found to have a curable STI, with the highest prevalence being observed for Tv (5.9%) followed by Ct (3.8%), Ng (3.8%), Mg (1.9%) and Tp (0.8%). Significant risk factors for having any STI included being female, younger age and concurrent partnership. Having had a previous STI that was optimally treated was a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that there is a considerable burden of STI on the Bijagos Islands, stressing the need for diagnostic testing to facilitate early detection and treatment of these pathogens to stop ongoing transmission. Moreover, these results indicate the need to conduct further research into the STI burden on the Bijagos Islands to help inform and develop a national STI control strategy.

Perceptions, attitudes and practices towards scabies in communities on the Bijagós Islands, Guinea-Bissau.

BACKGROUND: Scabies is highly endemic among impoverished populations and has been recently included in the WHO's list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Community support and behavioural changes are essential for the success of control interventions. This study aimed to explore beliefs, prevention attitudes and healthcare-seeking behaviours towards scabies in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau. METHODS: Data were collected through two methods. Community key informants (community members, community health workers, healthcare workers and traditional healers) were interviewed using snowball sampling. A questionnaire covering perceptions, attitudes and practices was administered to community members using random cluster sampling. Thematic analysis of qualitative data was applied to identify themes. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data analysis. RESULTS: There was a satisfactory awareness about scabies, but perceptions about disease causation and transmission were imprecise. Misconceptions about personal hygiene as the primary measure for scabies prevention were recurrent. Some participants recognised the importance of early treatment to interrupt transmission. Treatment of close contacts was not considered important. Costs were the main determining factor for treatment choice between traditional healer and the local health centre. Late presentation and delayed treatment were common and associated with poverty and stigmatisation. Scabies impaired quality of life by affecting social interactions, health, fitness to work and school attendance. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to improve education, recognition, management and affordable access to treatment. Community education, healthcare workers' training and skin NTD integrated control programmes should address the challenges highlighted in this study.

Prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of soil-transmitted helminth infection on the Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau: A community-wide cross-sectional study.

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are endemic and widespread across Sub-Saharan Africa. A community wide soil-transmitted helminth (STH) prevalence survey was performed on the island of Bubaque in Guinea-Bissau using both Kato-katz microscopy and qPCR methodology. Predictors of infection and morbidity indicators were identified using multivariable logistic regression, and diagnostic methods were compared using k statistics. Among 396 participants, prevalence of STH by microscopy was 23.2%, hookworm was the only species identified by this method and the mean infection intensity was 312 eggs per gram. qPCR analysis revealed an overall prevalence of any STH infection of 47.3%, with the majority A. duodenale (32.3%), followed by N. americanus (15.01%) and S. stercoralis (13.2%). A. lumbricoides, and T. trichiura infections were negligible, with a prevalence of 0.25% each. Agreement between diagnostic tests was k = 0.22, interpreted as fair agreement, and infection intensity measured by both methods was only minimally correlated (Rs = -0.03). STH infection overall was more common in females and adults aged 31-40. STH infection was associated with open defaecation, low socio-economic status and further distance to a water-source. The prevalence of anaemia (defined as a binary outcome by the WHO standards for age and sex) was 69.1%, and 44.2% of children were malnourished according to WHO child growth standards. Hookworm infection intensity by faecal egg count showed no statistically significant association with age (Rs 0.06) but S. Stercoralis infection intensity by qPCR cycle threshold was higher in pre-school aged children (Rs = 0.30, p-value 0.03) There was no statistically significant association between STH infection and anaemia (OR 1.0 p = 0.8), stunting (OR 1.9, p-value 0.5) and wasting (OR 2.0, p-value 0.2) in children. This study reveals a persistent reservoir of STH infection across the community, with high rates of anaemia and malnutrition, despite high-coverage of mebendazole mass-drug administration in pre-school children. This reflects the need for a new strategy to soil-transmitted helminth control, to reduce infections and ultimately eliminate transmission.

The prevalence of scabies, pyoderma and other communicable dermatoses in the Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau.

INTRODUCTION: Skin diseases represent a significant public health problem in most low and middle income settings. Nevertheless, there is a relative paucity of high-quality epidemiological data on the prevalence of these conditions. MATERIALS/METHODS: We conducted two cross-sectional population-based skin-surveys of children (6 months to 9 years old) in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau during the dry season (February-March 2018) and the wet season (June-July 2018). Following a period of training, a nurse performed a standardised examination for communicable dermatoses for each participant. We calculated the prevalence of each skin condition and investigated demographic associations. RESULTS: 1062 children were enrolled in the dry season survey of whom 318 (29.9%) had at least one skin diseases. The most common diagnosis was tinea capitis (154/1062, 14.5% - 95% CI 12.5-16.8%) followed by tinea corporis (84/1062, 7.9% - 95% CI 6.4-9.7%), pyoderma (82/1062, 7.7% - 95% CI 6.2-9.5%) and scabies (56/1062. 5.2% - 95%CI 4.0-6.8%). 320 children were enrolled in the wet season survey of whom 121 (37.8%) had at least one skin problem. Tinea capitis remained the most common diagnosis (79/320, 24.7% - 95% CI 20.1-29.9%), followed by pyoderma (38/320, 11.9% - 95% CI 8.6-16.1%), tinea corporis (23/320, 7.2% - 95% 4.7-10.7%) and scabies (6/320, 1.9% - 95% CI 0.8-4.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study, which utilised robust population-based cluster random sampling methodology, demonstrates the substantial disease burden caused by common communicable dermatoses in this setting. Given these findings, there is a need to consider common dermatoses as part of Universal Health Coverage to deliver 'skin-health for all'.