Prevalence of syphilis and associated factors in people who inject drugs in two Colombian cities syphilis in people who inject drugs

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence and factors associated with syphilis infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Armenia and C & uacute;cuta, Colombia.MethodologyIn 2021, 532 PWID from Armenia and C & uacute;cuta took a Bioline Syphilis rapid test, and data were collected through Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS). Univariate and bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with syphilis infection.ResultsOf the total number of participants, 85% are male gender and 15% female gender. Forty-two percent had a low educational level and 33% were homeless. The prevalence of syphilis among PWID was 15.8%. Factors associated with syphilis infection were being of the female gender, not have any school studies, homelessness, engaging in sex work, not accessing health services due to stigma, and never been referred to drug treatment.ConclusionsPWID in Cucuta and Armenia present high prevalence of syphilis. An urgent effort is needed to reach out test and treat PWID for syphilis in Colombia, especially female gender.