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Age-disparate partnerships and HSV-2 among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: implications for HIV infection risk
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9 2019
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Source: Sex Transm Infect. 95(6):443-448
[PDF-189.65 KB]
Details:
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Alternative Title:Sex Transm Infect
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Personal Author:
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Description:Objective:
There is an urgent need to understand high HIV-infection rates among young women in sub-Saharan Africa. While age-disparate partnerships have been characterised with higher risk sexual behaviours, the mechanisms through which these partnerships may increase HIV-risk are not fully understood. This study assessed the association between age-disparate partnerships and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infection, a factor known to increase HIV-infection risk.
Methods:
Cross-sectional face-to-face questionnaire data, and laboratory HSV-2 and HIV antibody data were collected among a representative sample in the 2014/15 household survey of the HIV Incidence Provincial Surveillance System (HIPSS) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Among 15–24 year-old women who reported having ever had sex (N=1550), the association between age-disparate partnerships (ie, male partner ≥5 years older) and HSV-2 antibody status was assessed using multivariable Poisson regression models with robust variance. Analyses were repeated among HIV-negative women.
Results:
HSV-2 prevalence was 55% among 15–24 year-old women. Women who reported an age-disparate partnership with their most recent partner were more likely to test HSV-2 positive compared to women with age-similar partners (64% vs 51%; adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR):1.19 (95% CI: 1.07–1.32, p<0.01)). HSV-2 prevalence was also significantly higher among HIV-negative women who reported age-disparate partnerships (51% vs 40%; aPR:1.25 (95% CI:1.05–1.50, p=0.014)).
Conclusions:
Results indicate that age-disparate partnerships are associated with a greater risk of HSV-2 among young women. These findings point towards an additional mechanism through which age-disparate partnerships could increase HIV-infection risk. Importantly, by increasing HSV-2 risk, age-disparate partnerships have the potential to increase HIV-infection risk within subsequent partnerships, regardless of the partner age-difference in those relationships.
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Source:
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Pubmed ID:30737260
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC7477752
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Funding:
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Volume:95
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Issue:6
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