Asymptomatic gonorrhoea in women attending family planning clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Results of a pilot study.

In an attempt to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic gonorrhoea in women in Tanzania urban areas, 405 women attending family planning clinics in Dar es Salaam had cervical swabs cultured on a selective gonorrhoea medium for Neisseria gonorrhoea. Twenty-nine of them (7.1%) were found with the organism despite absence of symptoms of the disease at the time of screening. Twenty (69%) of those with N. gonorrhoea came back after two weeks for results and all were treated with a single dose of penicillin. Only four (13.8%) of their male contacts came forward for treatment. In view of this high prevalence rate, it is recommended that gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted diseases be regarded as among the most prevalent communicable diseases in the country necessitating control measures. Consideration should be given to screening for gonorrhoea in antenatal and family planning clinics as is now the case for syphilis. The material cost of gonococcal screening per individual was estimated at 10 T shillings (US$ 1.25) which is well above the health ministry's capability.