Co-infections of malaria and curable sexually transmitted infections in pregnant women in rural Burkina Faso

Infectious diseases in sub-Sahara African pregnant women remain public health concerns. Malaria and curable sexually transmitted infections (STI) are the most common and severe infections causing poor pregnancy outcomes despite the several control programs implemented. Their coinfections could be frequent and more severe in pregnant women. The overall objective of our thesis was to contribute to improving the control of these co-infections through describing their prevalence, identifying risk groups, determining their impact on the pregnancies, and identifying the effective strategies for their control. We analyzed retrospectively captured routine data and we carried out a cross-sectional study in rural settings of Burkina Faso. We found that malaria and curable STI coinfections are frequent in pregnant women but are underdiagnosed in routine care in rural peripheral health facilities. Pregnant women who received no IPT-SP presented more frequently with coinfections. Malaria and curable STIs considered separately were more frequent in students. Miscarriages and stillbirth were associated with symptomatic coinfections contrary to low birth weight, and preterm births. Our findings have shown for the first time the severe impact of malaria and curable STI co-infections in pregnant women. IPT-SP should be reinforced in pregnant women. Health education should be set up for young girls to prevent complications in teenagers’ pregnancies.