Gonorrhea caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the second most prevalent curable sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Female Sex Workers FSWs are at a higher risk of contracting gonorrhea due to their risky sexual behaviors like inconsistent condom use and multiple sexual partners.
We administered a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data on socio-demographics and behavioral risk factors associated with gonorrhea. We also conducted three focus groups. Two endocervical swabs were collected from each participant by the attending physician for the laboratory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
An antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method. Twenty-four out of 6. From the qualitative data, sex work disclosure, and difficulty in engaging protected sex with their partner, and unprotected sex with their clients due to more money from the client, PREP, and alcohol use made the female sex workers vulnerable to gonorrhea exposure and or risky sexual behavior. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is prevalent among symptomatic FSWs in Nairobi.
Multiple sexual partners, being in age group 38β49 years and having primary education were the factors associated with gonorrhea among the study participants.
Based on our identification of a highly resistant isolate, we strongly recommend increasing capacity for culture-based diagnosis and susceptibility testing.
