Prevalence of gonorrhoea and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections in a farming community in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of gonorrhoea and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections in a farming community.

DESIGN

Cross sectional study.

SETTING

Commercial farming area, Zimbabwe.

SUBJECTS

1,005 individuals aged between 15 and 60 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Prevalence rates, knowledge of gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by age and sex.

RESULTS

Knowledge of gonorrhoea and other STIs was higher while knowledge of AIDS was lower among males than females. Frequency of past history of STIs in five years was significantly higher among males than females (OR 3.22; 95% CI 2.45 to 4.25). Physical examination revealed that 14% of males and 22% of females had other STIs besides gonorrhoea. The prevalence of gonorrhea was 18.4% (95% CI 16.0 to 20.8) and was higher among females than males (OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.97 to 3.90). Thirty one percent of the gonorrhoea infections were due to penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings emphasize the disparity between knowledge and practices with regards to STIs, and the importance of STIs as potential targets for and indices in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.