Status of sexually transmitted infections and seeking medical treatment among Vietnamese cross-border female sex workers in Hekou County, Yunnan / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the status of sexually transmitted infection and seeking medical treatment behavior, and influencing factors of Vietnamese cross-border female sex workers (FSWs) in Hekou County, Yunnan, and to provide a basis for promoting reproductive health and preventing and controlling the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in Vietnamese cross-border FSWs. Methods The snowball sampling method was used to recruit research subjects in entertainment venues in Hekou County, Yunnan, to conduct a questionnaire survey and collect blood, vaginal secretions and cervical swab specimens for HIV/STD testing. Results A total of 262 Vietnamese cross-border FSWs were investigated. The total infection rate of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV was 35.8% (94/262). The positive rate of genital herpes simplex, fungal vaginitis, trichomoniasis, wet warts and chlamydia were 23.5%, 8.0%, 2.7%, 1.5% and 1.5%, respectively. The positive rate of HIV was 1.5%. In the past year, 116 Vietnamese cross-border FSWs had symptoms related to sexually transmitted diseases. Among them, 34.5% chose to go to the hospital or private outpatient clinic, 44.8% bought medicines by themselves, and 20.7% did not receive any treatment. The FSWs who reported having sexually transmitted diseases testing in the past year (OR=3.54, P<0.05), came from medium and high-end places (OR=3.94, P<0.05), had more than two symptoms (OR=3.88, P<0.05), and self-perceived high risk of sexually transmitted infection were more likely to seek medical treatment. Conclusion The Vietnamese cross-border FSW population in Hekou County of Yunnan Province had a high rate of sexually transmitted infections. The proportion of seeking medical treatment among FSWs having symptoms related to sexually transmitted diseases was low. It is necessary to guide the Vietnamese cross-border FSWs to seek formal medical treatment.