MST-Department of Pathology

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Browsing MST-Department of Pathology by Author "Ombati, Caleb Momanyi"

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    Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Men Who Have Sex with Men Currently On Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Kiambu County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-04) Ombati, Caleb Momanyi
    Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to brace the high burden of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) globally, making them a major point population to look at especially for interventions in line with public health specifically HIV and AIDS. World Health Organization in conjunction with other stakeholders recommended pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as one of the preventive measures against new HIV infections. With its adoption, an increasing trend of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been noted among the MSM. This study has determined the predictors and frequency of selected sexually transmitted infections among PrEP using men who have sex with men in Kiambu County. The objectives included determining the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Naisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Treponema pallidum, and other STIs; establishing the relationship between sexual behaviours and the prevalence of STIs; as well as describing the clinical characteristics and its association with the prevalence of STIs among MSM currently using PrEP in Kiambu County. This study used an analytical cross-sectional study design targeting the MSM currently using PrEP. Venue-based sampling was adopted and a sample size of 157 respondents and 4 key informant interviews were used as well as 3 focus group discussions consisting of 8-12 members each. Questionnaires comprising both open and closed-ended questions, key informant interviews and focused group discussions were the main data collection instruments and for the analytics, the study adopted the use of STATA version 17. The prevalence of STIs recorded for the past three months from the analysis was found to be at 37.5%. Chlamydia and Gonorrhoeae were the most prevalent at 47.9%, followed by genital warts at 31.3%. Interestingly, missing to take PrEP was not significantly associated with STI prevalence [OR=1.389; 95%CI=0.130-1.169; P=0.093]. The regression analysis results for sexual characteristics however indicated that the type of sexual typology especially for oral, anal and bisexual has a significant association to the STI prevalence, with an odds ratio of 25.565 and a p value of 0.022. The clinical characteristics results indicated that 89.6% of the respondents did not notify their partners upon turning positive of STIs and as per the results, this was found to be strongly associated with STI prevalence, as the p value was 0.013. The conclusion of this study was that there are a number of factors that cause STI prevalence among MSM on PrEP, such as reduced condom use across the different types of partners and having multiple partners, as well as clinical factors for example when one doe not tell their partner when they turn positive for an STI. The study, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Health through National and County government to promote continuous and consistent condom use, intensify partner notification services among MSM with multiple partners and conduct education and sensitization forums to prevent STI transmission