Abstract
BackgroundHepatitis B virus disease is a potentially life-threatening liver infection and a major global health problem. It causes chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. WHO estimated 257 million people are living with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and in 2015 alone HBV resulted in to 887,000 deaths globally. We determined the prevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B virus infection among Antenatal Care (ANC) attendees in Gamawa Local Government Area, Bauchi State.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional, health facility-based study between March and April 2018. We used systematic random sampling technique to recruit 210 pregnant women aged 15–49 years. With a structured questionnaire, we interviewed the respondents and collected blood sample to test for hepatitis B surface antigen. We calculated frequencies, means, proportions, and tested for associations using Epi Info 7.2 and Microsoft Excel.ResultsThe mean age of respondents was 24.5 ± 6.0 years; 112 (53%) of whom were younger than 25 years. All were married, 183 (87%) had no formal education and up to 190 (90%) were employed. Overall, 14 (6.7%) tested positive for HBsAg; women aged ≥35 years had the highest prevalence (10%). None with tertiary education tested positive and women married before 18 years had 13 (6.2%) prevalence.ConclusionsThe prevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women in Gamawa LGA was 6.7% which is quite lower than the national prevalence reported. We recommended improved surveillance of HBV infection and screening of women attending ANC.
Highlights
Hepatitis B virus disease is a potentially life-threatening liver infection and a major global health problem
Several authors have reported on the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among sub-populations worldwide with estimates varying depending on population studied and methods used
Many authors report on the prevalence of HBV among sub-populations in Nigeria in secondary and tertiary healthcare settings and usually in urban areas, with estimates varying depending on population studied and methods used
Summary
Study design and setting We conducted a cross-sectional study among women receiving antenatal care (ANC) in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) of Gamawa LGA, Bauchi State between March and April 2018. After explaining the purpose of the study, written informed consent was obtained, the questionnaire was administered, and one millilitre of blood sample was collected through an aseptic venipuncture for HBV serology. Study instrument and data collection The participants were interviewed by the investigator and research assistants using a semi-structured questionnaire to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, history of vaccination, blood transfusion, surgery, tonsillectomy, dental procedure, sharing of needles, and history of cupping, scarification and episiotomy. The questionnaires were both in English and Hausa. We estimated the proportion of pregnant women positive to HBsAg, frequency and proportion of the various sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. All the women contacted for the study have agreed and participated in the Study, there were no issues with test method and collection of data
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