Hepatitis B virus Vertical Transmission in Booked Pregnant Women in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Perinatal (vertical) transmission has remained the most important route of spread of Hepatitis B Virus in many endemic areas worldwide. Determining magnitude of vertical transmission to the new born fetuses may allow for planning and modification of strategies to curtail the menace.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of vertical transmission and Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection rate in pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal, cohort study involving one hundred and five (105) pregnantwomen that were serially recruited between January 2nd and March 31st, 2013 and tested for serum Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using commercial rapid diagnostic Elisa kits. Those women that were positive for HBsAg were tested for envelope antigen(HBeAg) variant. Recruited patients were followed up till delivery. The data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17. P-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The results were presented as Simple per cents and chisquare was employed to test for the significance.Results: There were 8 pregnant women that were positive for HBsAg among 105 consecutive women, giving a prevalence rate of 7.6%. There was no in-utero (vertical) transmission recorded in the study population.Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg is relatively high but with zero pre-natal vertical transmission. Proper precautionary measures at delivery are however advocated to keep the vertical transmission at its lowest bearable status.