This study was conducted to determine the sexually transmitted diseases in domestic expatriate workers (DEWs) screened for pre-employment in the general clinics of a teaching hospital. The study included 1648 domestic expatriate workers who were reviewed by a general practitioner, and who underwent serological tests for treponemal infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was also done routinely as part of the requirement of the pre-employment screening. The relative frequencies for syphilis and HIV were 23.8% and 19% respectively. HIV was detected more frequently in DEWs from Africa, and syphilis in DEWs from Indonesia and the Philippines, whereas HGsAg was more frequently detected in DEWs from the African subcontinent, and was significant among males (2.8%), compared to females (1.0%), where P < 0.05. These findings indicate that pre-employment screening is a viable means of identifying major STDs (venereal syphilis, HIV) and communicable diseases such as hepatitis B in the DEWs. It is recommended that stringent measures be adopted to prevent fraudulent reporting from laboratories and health care providers locally, and from the home country of the DEW.

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Human immunodeficiency virus infection sex ratio human priority journal general practitioner sexually transmitted disease migrant worker Saudi Arabia male female Africa preemployment medical examination Indonesia serodiagnosis Syphilis teaching hospital Article major clinical study bacterial infection hepatitis B surface antigen hepatitis B Philippines