Abstract
Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become a significant public health problem in developing countries, and the high rate of morbidity and mortality from acute and chronic infections is worrisome. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence of HBV and associated risk factors in Ankpa, Kogi State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods. Sera randomly collected from 200 participants in three public hospitals in Ankpa were screened for HBsAg using commercially available HBsAg rapid test kit (Swe-Care (R), China). Structured questionnaires were used to obtain sociodemographic details and history of exposure to risk factors. Results Seventeen (8.5%) of the 200 patients were positive for HBsAg. Males had higher prevalence (10.89%) than females (6.06%). The age group with the highest rate of infection was 24–44 years. Patient's occupation and marital status were significantly higher in relation to HBsAg seropositivity. Risks of HBV infection in Ankpa are sharing of sharp objects (OR = 11.62, 95% CI, 3.59–37.59), multiple sexual partners (OR = 3.39, 95% CI, 1.23–9.38), blood transfusion (OR = 13.74, 95% CI, 4.22–44.71), surgeries (OR = 3.02, 95% CI, 1.03–8.83), alcoholism (OR = 6.94, 95% CI, 2.32–20.75), mouth-to-mouth kissing (p=0.001), and contact with HBV patient (OR = 4.14, 95% CI, 1.01–17.06). People without prior knowledge of HBV infection were more infected. Conclusion This study reaffirms the endemicity of HBV in a part of sub-Saharan African country. Public health practitioners should focus attention on apparently healthy patients in developing countries. We suggest inclusion of HBsAg screening for patients coming for routine hospital care.
Highlights
Hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a lifethreatening liver infection that causes cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [1]
8.5% of the patients who presented with fever as a symptom to the three major hospitals in Ankpa City were seropositive to HBsAg
In accordance with the World Health Organization classification of assessing severity of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in endemic countries, the rate observed in this study is regarded as high seroprevalence level of HBV infection
Summary
Hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a lifethreatening liver infection that causes cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [1]. About 350 million people are chronic HBV carriers [3], with over 8% in sub-Saharan Africa [4]. In sub-Saharan Africa, a high rate of asymptomatic HBV infection exists and poses significant health risk for close family contacts and public health workers. HBV has been reported in different populations in various parts of Nigeria [6,7,8,9,10,11] It is a serious public health problem affecting all ages. Erefore, we determined seroprevalence of HBsAg and predisposing risk factors among general outpatients attending clinics in Ankpa. We assessed their knowledge about HBV infection and its prevention
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