Changing trends in Chlamydia and gonorrhea infections among female sex workers in Southern China: a surveillance data analysis spanning 2019 to 2022.

BACKGROUND

Female sex workers (FSW) are particularly vulnerable to chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. However, there were few studies that detail the evolving patterns of chlamydia and gonorrhea among Chinese FSW. Therefore, our study endeavors to assess the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea epidemics within FSW, investigate their changing trends and scrutinize associated factors.

METHODS

In 2019, China instituted a sentinel surveillance network focused on FSW in Guangdong Province. This network conducted an annual serial cross-sectional survey spanning from April to August. All analyses are predicated on surveillance data accumulated between 2019 and 2022.

RESULTS

The prevalence of chlamydia increased from 10.1 to 12.3%, exhibiting an annual percentage shift of 6.8%. Conversely, the prevalence of gonorrhea dwindled from 2.0 to 1.3%, marking an annual percentage decline of 13.4% (P < 0.001). After adjusting for covariates, chlamydia exhibited associations with having household registration in other provinces (adjusted odds ratio (aOR = 0.55)), displaying symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (aOR = 1.65) and infected with gonorrhea (aOR = 5.68). In parallel, gonorrhea demonstrated associations with providing oral sex to clients (aOR = 3.74), manifesting STIs symptoms (aOR = 4.27) and those infected with chlamydia (aOR = 5.43).

CONCLUSIONS

Our observations underscore the imperative to implement a comprehensive intervention strategy concentrating on chlamydia, while simultaneously fortifying endeavors to expand the scope of gonorrhea prevention services.