FHI Logo
    Search fhi.org
pixel
 
Infinite Menus, Copyright 2006, OpenCube Inc. All Rights Reserved.
pixel pixel
 
cover image

Country Profiles
The Effectiveness and Costs of Two Methods for the Systematic Prevention and Control of STIs among Female Sex Workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh
 
October 2007
Attachment Available Download PDF   
(29 pages, 1 MB)   

Email this to a friend

Contribute Now Sign up for E-news Help families recover in storm-devastated Haiti

OCTOBER 2007 — Identifying the best and quickest way to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STI) is an effective approach to HIV prevention in Bangladesh, a country threatened by the epidemic. Though periodic presumptive treatment (PPT) is a suggested method of STI control, it is considered a short-term solution, and its epidemiological justification weakens as STI prevalence declines. An alternative approach is enhanced syndromic management (ESM), which aims to reduce STI prevalence rapidly through a single round of presumptive treatment of cervicitis, followed by monthly clinical care through an ESM protocol based on a risk assessment and laboratory tests. This report compares these two interventions, as evidenced by a USAID-funded randomized intervention study with hotel-based sex workers in Dhaka, and presents findings on their comparative effectiveness and costs and impact on condom use, program durability, and knowledge and risk behavior. Recommendations for action are also provided.