Detection of syphilis among patients attending a General Hospital in Ogbakiri, River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The syphilis-causing agent, Treponema pallidum, has long posed a threat to public health. In sub- Saharan Africa, it is a significant public health issue and is common in developing nations. This study looked into the syphilis prevalence among patients at Rivers State's Ogbakiri General Hospital. Eighty-nine samples were used in total for this investigation after haemolysing; those with fibrin and heavy particles were discarded. For these samples, stratified socio-demographic data were used. In the population, 31 (34.8%) patients were males and 58 (65.2%) were females. Ages ranged from 18 to 75, individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 made up 56.2% of the population; patients between the ages of 31 and 40 made up 10.1% patients between the ages of 41 and 60 made up 21.4% and patients aged 61 and beyond made up 12.4%. Also, 38 (42.7%) and 51 (57.3%) of the population, respectively, were singles and married, 13 (14.6%) of the study population had primary education, 45 (50.6%) had secondary education, and 23 (25.8%) had postsecondary education, according to the results of the educational status analysis. Based on occupational status, there were 8 (8.9%) nurses. According to the study, 2.2% of those who tested were positive for syphilis. Syphilis was found to be more common in people aged 61 to 75 (9.1%), males (3.2%), singles (5.3%) and higher educational status (4.3%). According to this report, Ogbakiri, Nigeria's Rivers State has a relatively low syphilis prevalence compared to other areas in the country.