EXPERTS have said that there is a need to investigate reasons behind people’s preferred choice of seeking sexually transmitted infections (STIs) care at pharmacy and patent medicine stores in Nigeria.
Researchers’ assessment of the three consecutive National HIV and AIDS Reproductive Health Surveys conducted in 2005, 2007 and 2012 found that men and women were seeking care for STIs from faith-based homes and traditional birth attendants (TBAs).
The 2020 study, which involved Dr Imran O. Morhason-Bello and Dr Adeniyi F. Fagbamigbe, was in the International Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
According to them, it is a worrisome trend that a large number of participants that had STIs did not visit any treatment facilities in the previous 12 months.
The study indicated that although knowledge of STI increased with age from 13.4 per cent in 2005 to 26.5 per cent in 2012, a large number of participants that had STIs did not visit any treatment facilities.
In addition, participants that previously sought care from health facilities, pharmacy, and patient medicine vendors had better knowledge of STIs and HIV infection prevention and transmission than those who sought care from unorthodox sources.
Of the 10255, 11822, and, 35520 participants in 2005, 2007, and 2012 surveys, respectively, 54 per cent were males in 2005 and 2007 compared with 50 per cent in 2012.
There were 601, 728, and 1861 respondents who had experienced at least one episode of STI within 12 months preceding 2005, 2007, and 2012 surveys, respectively.
The prevalence of STI in Nigeria seemed stable at 6.0 per cent, but was consistently higher among respondents aged 20 to 24 years and females than males.
Of the 601 STI positive respondents within the 12 months preceding the 2005 survey, 40.9 per cent did not visit any health facility for treatment, 30.8 per cent visited health facilities, 16.0 per cent visited the pharmacy and patient medicine vendors, while 12.3 per cent visited the traditional birth attendants.
About 44.8 per cent and 41.5 per cent did not visit any facility within the 12 months preceding the 2007 and 2012 surveys, respectively.
Knowledge of STI and HIV transmission and prevention was highest in the South-East and least in North. Also, educational attainment of the respondents and religious inclination was significant to the level of knowledge of STI and HIV transmission and prevention.
They, therefore, recommend mass mobilisation and awareness creation on the prevention of STIs in the community and provide information on the safe point of care for STIs in Nigeria.
World Health Organisation in 2018 estimated that one million people acquire sexually transmitted infections (STI) daily and half a billion people fall sick from one of the four curable STIs (Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and trichomonas) each year.
The negative health consequences of STI include infertility, cervical cancer, chronic pelvic pain, recurrent pregnancy loss, preterm labour, and newborn/child health complications.
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