Seroprevalence of Syphilis among Patients in Consultation at Cacia Health Centre (Republic of Guinea)

Abstract

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. It is a major public health problem due to its silent transmission and severe complications in the absence of treatment. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is on the rise, particularly in 66 developing countries. The objective was to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis at the Cacia Health Centre. The analyses were carried out at the biomedical laboratory of the Cacia Health Centre. This was a prospective cross-sectional study. During the study, TPHA was used as the method of analysis. The study was conducted at the Cacia Health Centre over nine months (from 10 October 2024 to 10 June 2025) and involved 660 patients for whom a treponemal test was requested, of whom 23 were positive (3.48%). Men were more affected (14 cases/660, or 2.12%) than women (1.36%), with a sex ratio of 0.61 men to 1 woman. Single people were the most infected (17 cases, or 2.58%), followed by shopkeepers (8 cases, or 0.76%), students/pupils (5 cases, or 0.76%), and manual workers (4 cases, or 0.61%). The most affected age groups were: 27–36 years old (10 cases, or 1.51%) and 17–26 years old (8 cases, or 1.21%). The localities of Koliady (8 cases, 1.21%), Cacia (6 cases, 0.91%) and Caravanceraïls (4 cases, 0.61%) were the most affected. Early diagnosis of syphilis, adequate treatment, and sex education, among other measures, would reduce the risk of infection. Before syphilis becomes a greater public health emergency than it is today, it is time to promote free mass screening, adequate care for positive cases, sex education, and locally targeted prevention campaigns.