@article {Sgaier94, author = {S K Sgaier and P Mony and S Jayakumar and C McLaughlin and P Arora and R Kumar and P Bhatia and P Jha}, title = {Prevalence and correlates of Herpes Simplex Virus-2 and syphilis infections in the general population in India}, volume = {87}, number = {2}, pages = {94--100}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.1136/sti.2010.043687}, publisher = {The Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Disease}, abstract = {Objectives To determine the prevalence and correlates of Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) and syphilis infections in the general population in India.Methods 2456 adults were surveyed in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh in India. Socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics were obtained through a questionnaire, and a dried blood spot (DBS) was collected from all individuals aged 18 years and over; sexual behaviour was collected from those aged 18{\textendash}49 years. DBS samples were tested for HSV-2 and syphilis serology. The association between HSV-2 and syphilis infections with socio-demographic and behavioural variables was analysed using multivariable logistic regression.Results The prevalence of HSV-2 and syphilis was 10.1\% and 1.7\%, respectively. Geographic differences in HSV-2 prevalence were significant, while for syphilis it was comparable. Urban{\textendash}rural differences in prevalence were only seen for syphilis. For both infections, the prevalence between males and females was not significantly different. In males and females, HSV-2 prevalence increased significantly with increasing age; for syphilis, a slight trend was seen only in females. In a multivariable analysis, HSV-2 infection in males and females was associated with site, religion and testing positive for syphilis, in addition to reporting >=2 lifetime partners in the previous year among males and being ever married or having had sex with a non-regular partner in the last year among females.Conclusions The burden and geographic heterogeneity of HSV-2 and syphilis infections in India are significant. A national household and DBS-based sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance system would enable monitoring, especially in relation to the HIV epidemic, and planning of evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes.}, issn = {1368-4973}, URL = {https://sti.bmj.com/content/87/2/94}, eprint = {https://sti.bmj.com/content/87/2/94.full.pdf}, journal = {Sexually Transmitted Infections} }