Serological confirmed syphilis among transgender women in Dominican Republic

Abstract

Purpose: Transgender women (TW) in the Dominican Republic (DR) are at high risk for syphillis infection. Although treatable, infection rates remain at epidemic proportions.

Methods: In 2016, we conducted a national survey, with serological sampling of TW in the DR (n=255).

Results: In our sample, syphillis seropositivity was 47.45%. There was a statistically significant association between age (t=−2.93, df, p<0.01), arrest history (χ2=8.15, p<0.01), exposure to violence (χ2=3.73, p<0.05), and syphilis seropositivity. Multivariate analyses show TW arrested in the past 6 months have higher odds of seropositivity (odds ratio=2.05, confidence interval: 1.04–4.06, p<0.05).

Conclusions: There is a need for education and public health campaigns focused on TW specifically.