Does Schooling Protect Sexual Health? The Influence of School Attendance on Herpes Simplex Type 2 Infection among Adolescents in Malawi

Barbara S. Mensch, Population Council
Monica J. Grant, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Christine Kelly, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Population Council
Satvika Chalasani, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Christopher Sudfeld, Harvard University
Paul C. Hewett, Population Council

The inverse association between school attendance and premarital sex observed in sub-Saharan Africa among females has led some to assert that schooling offers some measure of “protection” for adolescent girls in Africa who often have limited access to condoms and other methods of contraception. This paper investigates the association between school attendance and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), commonly referred to as genital herpes, in the southern region of Malawi with data from a longitudinal survey of adolescent males and females first interviewed in 2007. Prevention of HSV-2, which is strongly associated with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, has important consequences for public health particularly where suppressive therapy is not readily available. Preliminary analyses reveal a positive and statistically significant association between current school enrollment and HSV-2 prevalence for males, but a negative and statistically significant association between current school enrollment and HSV-2 infection for females.