Prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis among HIV-Positive Women in Machakos County Hospital, Kenya

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common infection in women during their reproductive age. However, the burden of BV among HIV-positive women in Kenya is not clear. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BV in HIV-positive women visiting the comprehensive care center in Machakos county hospital, Kenya.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Machakos County Hospital Comprehensive Care Centre and Machakos Cancer Care and Research Centre, between August 2020 and December 2020.

Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study at Machakos county hospital in Kenya by enrolling 400 women who were HIV-positive and attending the comprehensive care center at the facility. Convenience sampling was used to select the study participants. Cytological samples obtained using a cytobrush were processed using manual liquid based cytology technique. All smears were stained using the Papanicolaou staining method and examined microscopically for the presence of clue cells. A Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the association between BV and the demographic variables.

Results: Out of the 400 participants enrolled in this study, 41 (10.3%) had BV. The age groups 30-39 years (n=14, 34.1%) and 40-49 years (n=14, 34.1%) had the highest BV burden. Based on marital status, married women had the highest cases of BV (n=18, 43.9%) while divorced women had the least cases of BV (n=4, 9.8%). Women who used condom as the method of family planning showed to have the highest cases of BV (n=18, 43.9%). Of all the variables studied, only age had a statistically significant association with BV (P=0.002).

Conclusion: The prevalence of BV among HIV-positive women in Machakos county hospital, Kenya in this study was 10.3%. Age and BV were significantly associated.