Alarming Number of Young Ghanaian Women Have Undiagnosed STIs – KNUST Study Warns

A groundbreaking national study led by Dr. Laud Anthony Basing of the Department of Medical Diagnostics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has uncovered alarming levels of undiagnosed reproductive and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young women in Ghana.

Presented at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the study surveyed nearly 3,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 across nine regions of Ghana. Participants were drawn from diverse backgrounds, including senior high schools, universities, female sex worker networks, and head porter communities.

Findings revealed that over 40 percent of the young women tested positive for at least one infection—despite the majority showing no symptoms. Yeast infections caused by Candida were the most prevalent, affecting more than half of those tested. This was followed by the bacterial STI Chlamydia trachomatis, with one in four participants infected. Cases of gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis were also reported.

The study highlights a critical public health concern and underscores the urgent need for improved screening, education, and access to reproductive health services for young women across the country.