Bulletin of the World Health Organization (Jan 2002)

Reproductive tract infections: prevalence and risk factors in rural Bangladesh

  • Hawkes Sarah,
  • Morison Linda,
  • Chakraborty Jyotsnamoy,
  • Gausia Kaniz,
  • Ahmed Farid,
  • Islam Shamim Sufia,
  • Alam Nazmul,
  • Brown David,
  • Mabey David

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 80, no. 3
pp. 180 – 188

Abstract

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for reproductive tract infections among men and women in a rural community in Bangladesh. METHODS: In the Matlab area a systematic sample of married non-pregnant women aged 15-50 years was drawn from a comprehensive household registration system for married women. A systematic sample of married and unmarried men in the same age group was drawn from a census-derived demographic surveillance list. Private interviews were conducted with 804 women in a clinic, and cervical, vaginal, urinary and serological samples were collected. Urine and blood specimens were obtained from 969 men who were interviewed at home. FINDINGS: The prevalence of bacterial and viral reproductive tract infections was low to moderate. For example, fewer than 1% of the women had a cervical infection. No cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were found. However, among men there was a high level of reported risk behaviour and a low level of protection against infection. CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of reproductive tract infections, coupled with a high level of reported risk behaviour, indicated a need for primary programmes that would prevent an increase in the incidence of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and HIV infection.

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