Acceptability and feasibility of sexually transmissible infection screening among pregnant women in Hanoi, Vietnam

Background: Vietnam currently has no antenatal screening program for curable sexually transmissible infections (STIs). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of curable STIs, correlates of infections and assess the acceptability and feasibility of antenatal STI screening in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: A study involving 800 pregnant women visiting Ha Dong Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam from June 2016 to July 2017, was conducted. Participants provided either a self-collected vaginal swab or urine sample to be screened for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). Results: The prevalence of CT, NG and TV was 6.0% (95% CI: 4.5-7.9%), 0.13 (95% CI: 0.003-0.7%) and 0.8% (95% CI: 0.16-2.2%) respectively. CT infection was significantly associated with being <25 years and not being married to last sex partners at the multivariable level. Acceptability and feasibility were high, with 99.5% of eligible women consenting to testing, and 96% of infected women getting treatment. Most women considered STI screening during pregnancy to be important and were willing to notify their sex partners if they were infected. Conclusions: CT was the most common curable STI among pregnant women in Hanoi, Vietnam. Antenatal screening of curable STIs was highly acceptable and feasible in this population.