This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
Published on August 15, 2019, a study conducted in four African countries, including Kenya, has revealed that women on long-acting contraceptives recorded higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to the general population.
The study, which was conducted over three years in Kenya, eSwatini, Zambia, and South Africa, found that a high number of women who went for modern family planning methods had gonorrhoea and chlamydia.
Most affected are girls aged 16 to 24 years.
The Echo trial, which began in December 2015, enrolled and followed 7,829 sexually active, HIV-negative women aged 16 to 35 years across 12 clinical trial sites in the four countries.
"Few studies had examined whether hormonal implants or IUDs affected users' risk of HIV acquisition," said Nelly Mugo, head of the sexual, reproductive, adolescent and child health research programme at the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
According to the findings, chlamydia infection was 18 per cent at baseline (start of the study) and 15 per cent at last visit. Overall, gonorrhoea stood at five per cent; this is despite treatment during follow-up visits.
Experts have recommended STI testing should now be offered at family planning clinics.
"There is lack of progress in stopping the spread of STIs worldwide. This is a wake-up call for those concerned. We should ensure everyone, everywhere can access the services needed to prevent and treat these debilitating diseases," Dr Peter Salama, the executive director for Universal Health Coverage and the Life-Course at the World Health Organisation, said.
