Is Diagnostic Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening for Adolescent Girls and Young Women a Worthwhile Investment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?

Aamirah Mussa of Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership in Botswana will pilot test a diagnostic screening program for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in adolescent girls and young women in Botswana to determine the infection burden and the cost effectiveness of the program. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis are common, curable STIs, but asymptomatic infections can be unknowingly spread and may not be detected until they cause serious, long-term complications. They will work with a youth advisory board to design the screening protocol, including determining how best to reach the target population and whether to screen at home or in the clinic and by a self-collected or clinician-collected swab. They will then screen a cohort in the capital city Gaborone using a nucleic acid amplification test. The cost of the screening and treatment will be compared to the cost of the currently used protocol of syndromic management with diagnosis by microscopy for persistent infections.