YOUTHS STIs MENACE

Talent Gore

A RECENT study by the Health Research Unit Zimbabwe found that, at least, 20 percent of youths tested positive for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The research, conducted between 2020 and 2022, tested young people for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis in 16 communities in Harare, Bulawayo and Mashonaland East provinces.

The study found that one in five young people, aged 18-24 years, tested positive for, at least, one of the three treatable STIs.

Health Research Unit Zimbabwe researcher and epidemiologist, Dr Chido Dziva Chikwari, said that the prevalence of STIs was high among the youth.

She recommended a move towards diagnostic testing for STIs to reduce the burden of STIs among the population.

“We went door-to-door in 16 communities in Zimbabwe and tested young people for STIs. We tested for three STIs and findings showed that there is a high prevalence of STIs among the youths, with one in five aged 18-24 years testing positive for one of three treatable STIs.”

She said most STIs were asymptomatic.

“We found that offering STI testing to youth in community settings resulted in reduced prevalence of gonorrhoea by 43 percent.

“This is promising because it shows us there is something that can be done to reduce the burden of STIs among youth.

“One of the important things to note is that a majority of STIs are asymptomatic and that means a person with these STIs would not know because they do not have any of the STI symptoms.

“At the moment, there’s no diagnostic testing for most STIs.

“We test for HIV and there is a point of care for syphilis, but if you would like to test for most STIs, you have to go to a laboratory and this is expensive and not affordable for most people.”