Chlamydia Trachomatis Prevalence In Ghana - A Study At A Municipal District In Western Ghana

ABSTRACT The paper seeks to determine the prevalence of chlamydia trachomatis infection in Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality and explore the relationship between age gender symptoms and diagnosis. A laboratory screening test for chlamydia trachomatis was employed with patients aged between 3 and 50 years. The swab specimens were collected randomly from Patients who were attending a normal routine checkup and were diagnosed of chlamydia-related symptoms. The sample size is comprised of 186 individuals 17 years and older who were screened for Chlamydia in two hospitals the Government Hospital in Tarkwa and the Ghana Manganese Company Hospital at Nsuta in the Western Region of Ghana. Among the 186 17 were diagnosed with a sexually-transmitted infection STI other than Chlamydia and 2 were children younger than 15 years. Of the remaining 167 patients 127 76.0 were women and 4024.0 were men. The samples were collected from February 2011 to August 2011. The most common symptoms among the women were vaginal discharge 54.3 followed by vulva vaginitis 23.6 while among the men urethral discharge accounted for 52.5 and burning sensation accounted for 37.5. The prevalence rate for Chlamydia was 20.4. Prevalence rates were not significantly different for men and women across symptoms or age groups. However among the women presenting vaginal discharge the women with a negative diagnosis were significantly older with an average age of 31.8 years and standard deviation SD 6.6 years whereas women with a positive diagnosis had an average age of 25.6 years and SD 4.8 years. Among men presenting urethral discharge the men with a negative diagnosis were older Mean 31years SD 4.7 years than those with a positive diagnosis Mean 24years SD 7.2 years. The study found a positive relationship between symptoms and age and between symptoms and positive diagnoses of Chlamydia among young adults in Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality.