Publications by authors named "Fifonsi Gbeasor-Komlanvi"
Background: Female Sex Workers (FSW) in Sub Saharan Africa face multiple challenges increasing their vulnerability to poor health, particularly poor sexual and reproductive (SRH) health outcomes and violence. The aim of this study was to assess the use of gynecology health care services and factors associated with its use as well as experiences of violence among FSW in Togo.
Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2021 among FSW in two cities of Togo.
HIV self-testing: A highly acceptable and feasible strategy for reconnecting street adolescents with HIV screening and prevention services in Togo (The STADOS study).
PLoS One
October 2024
Introduction: HIV self-testing is a complementary screening strategy that could facilitate access to HIV care services for street adolescents. The objectives of this study were to assess the acceptability and feasibility of HIV self-testing and their associated factors, to estimate HIV prevalence among street adolescents in Togo, and to describe the sexual behavior of this population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2021 and May 2022 in Lomé and Kara (Togolese cities with the highest number of street adolescents).
Article Synopsis
- * A study involving 30 Togolese female sex workers analyzed 156 HPV genome sequences from cervical and anal swabs, revealing identical infections but varying genetic diversity across HPV types and sites.
- * Low-risk HPVs showed more mutations induced by APOBEC3 in the E4 and E6 genes compared to high-risk HPVs, which had fewer mutations, suggesting different cancer risk potentials among HPV types.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care professionals regarding dengue fever: need for training and provision of diagnostic equipment in Togo in 2022, a cross-sectional study.
Front Public Health
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- Health professionals in the Kara region of Togo lack training and resources related to dengue fever, with only 3% receiving relevant training in the past 3 years and 10% having access to diagnostic tests.
- The study found that while nearly half of the surveyed healthcare workers had good knowledge of dengue, only 30% showed positive attitudes, and only 9.4% applied appropriate practices when diagnosing and treating the disease.
- Ongoing training for healthcare workers was shown to significantly improve their ability to diagnose and manage dengue fever, highlighting the need for enhanced education and resource availability in Togo.*
Objective Of The Study: To estimate the prevalence of four STIs in women of reproductive age in the Kara region.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2022. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire.
Article Synopsis
- In 2015, Togo implemented a "test-and-treat" strategy to combat mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, yet the MTCT rate was still 3.6% in 2020, prompting a study in Lomé aimed at estimating HIV seroconversion in pregnancy and identifying at-risk pregnant women.
- The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of 3,148 umbilical cord blood samples collected from women after delivery, revealing a 3.8% seroprevalence of HIV-1, with most of the positive cases having previous knowledge of their HIV status before pregnancy.
- The findings indicated that a majority of the HIV-positive women were on antiretroviral treatment prior
Article Synopsis
- The study assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health indicators related to HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB) in Togo, revealing limited data from sub-Saharan Africa prior to this research.
- It analyzed national health data from January 2019 to December 2021, employing Poisson segmented regression to evaluate changes in nine key health indicators before and during the pandemic.
- Results showed a significant decline in six indicators, with urgent recommendations for improving healthcare system preparedness in Togo despite some maintenance of HIV, malaria, and TB services over time.
COVID-19 pandemic management leads to new health policies including the requirement of a vaccination pass or a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for cross-border flights. The objective of this study was to estimate COVID-19 vaccination coverage among travellers, as well as factors associated with a full vaccination. A cross sectional study was conducted in July 2022 at the Gnassingbé Eyadema International Airport (LFW) in Lomé.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malaria remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in young children in sub-Saharan Africa. To prevent malaria in children living in moderate-to-high malaria transmission areas, the World Health Organization has recommended perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC). Prior to piloting PMC implementation in southern Togo, a household survey was conducted to estimate malaria infection prevalence in children under 2 years of age (U2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Most Togolese population earns their income from informal sector, and they are very often exposed to health outcomes. Cash transfers impact healthcare utilization by improving household's social capital, socio-economic status, lifestyle choice, and physical health. The aim of this paper was to analyse the impact of unconditional cash transfers on health care utilisation in informal sector households.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNo data about antiretroviral (ARV) treatment coverage and virological response are available among key populations (female sex workers [FSW] and Men having Sex with Men [MSM]) in Togo. This study aimed to both describe Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) immunovirological status and evaluate the pertinence of an original algorithm combining pharmacology (PK) and viral load (VL) to identify subjects at risk of ARV drug resistance. A cross-sectional multicentric study was conducted in 2017 in Togo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The extent of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in African countries is still unclear. Seroprevalence studies are a common approach to epidemiological surveillance, allowing estimation of the proportion of people who have had contact with the virus. We aimed at estimating the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and associated factors in Togo at the national level in 2021 according to age groups, gender, and place of residence (rural or urban).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Yellow fever virus is an arbovirus transmitted to humans by Aedes and Haemogogus mosquito species. To date, there is no specific treatment for yellow fever. However, an effective vaccine is available for the prevention.
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- In Togo, where malaria is common, there is a concern that treating malaria first can delay the diagnosis of dengue fever due to their similar symptoms, highlighting the need for better knowledge among healthcare workers (HCW).
- A study conducted from November 2020 to March 2021 surveyed 334 HCW to assess their understanding of dengue, revealing that only 47.1% had good knowledge about the disease and its prevention, with senior managers being more informed than lower-level staff.
- The majority of HCW (91.3%) indicated a lack of diagnostic tools for dengue, suggesting that improving access to these tools and training could help manage dengue cases effectively alongside malaria.
Article Synopsis
- * Out of 1,055 participants, only 33.7% exhibited good knowledge of STIs, with factors like prior HIV testing, sexual experience, and higher education levels positively influencing this knowledge.
- * The findings indicated concerning behaviors; among sexually active students, 32.5% reported inconsistent condom use, and 18.9% had multiple sexual partners, emphasizing the need for enhanced STI prevention measures on campus.
Background: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) remain a public health challenge, especially for Female Sex Workers (FSW) who are particularly vulnerable. In sub-Saharan Africa where the overlapping epidemics of STI and HIV are concentrated among key populations, epidemiological data are needed in order to better understand STI trends in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of self-reported STI symptoms and their risk factors among FSW in Togo in 2021.
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- The study aimed to determine how common malaria and Covid-19 are among febrile patients in Lomé, using various testing methods over two months in 2020.
- A total of 243 patients were tested, revealing a malaria prevalence of about 25%, while the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was found in approximately 7.4% of the participants.
- The findings suggest that there may be cross-reactivity between Covid-19 and malaria in rapid tests, indicating the need for PCR testing to accurately diagnose Covid-19 in areas where malaria is common.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the prevalence of dengue fever among patients with febrile syndrome at a hospital in Lomé, Togo, where data on this disease is limited.
- Out of 147 patients, dengue fever was found in 17% of cases, while malaria had a prevalence of 10.2%.
- The study demonstrated a significant agreement between two testing methods for dengue, indicating that dengue fever is a notable cause of febrile illness in the region, similar to malaria.
Background: The HIV epidemic remains an important public health challenge for the sub-Saharan region. Female Sex Workers (FSW) in this region are among the most vulnerable of the key population groups with HIV prevalence as high as twice that of the general population. The aim of this study was to estimate HIV prevalence and explore sexual risk behaviors among FSW in Togo.
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- * A study conducted from June 14 to 29, 2021, involving 523 HCWs, found that 53.5% experienced burnout, with varying levels across personal (39.4%), work-related (38.4%), and patient-related factors (22.1%).
- * The findings emphasize the need for occupational health teams to implement strategies for preventing, screening, and addressing burnout among healthcare workers.
Background: Hepatitis B and C are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, with prevalence among the highest in the World. However, several challenges impede the progression towards the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030 as suggested by the World Health Organization Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, including the lack of knowledge on the scale of this epidemic in the region. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among female sex workers (FSW) in Togo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevalence of severe adverse events among health professionals after receiving the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine (Covishield) in Togo, March 2021.
Arch Public Health
November 2021
Article Synopsis
- * A total of 1,639 participants experienced various adverse events, with the most common being injection site pain (91%) and fatigue (74%), while some required medical consultations or were unable to work post-vaccination.
- * The research indicated that younger individuals and females were more likely to experience SAEs, suggesting the potential need for preemptive pain management strategies like antalgics for this demographic.
Article Synopsis
- A study conducted in Togo in 2017 aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) among female sex workers (FSW) using respondent-driven sampling and molecular tests.
- The results showed a T. vaginalis prevalence of 6.5%, with additional findings of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the population, including HIV.
- Key factors associated with T. vaginalis infection included living in Lomé, having sexual intercourse before age 18, and being infected with Chlamydia trachomatis, highlighting the need for further research to understand its epidemiology in Togo.*
Objectives: This study aimed to describe HIV testing uptake, as well as HIV prevalence and its associated factors among older adults aged ≥50 years in health facilities in Togo.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February 2018 to June 2019 among hospitalized older adults aged ≥50 years in tertiary and secondary hospitals in Togo. HIV testing was performed according to the national algorithm.