Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses among pregnant women in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Infections due to hepatitis B (HBV) and C viruses (HCV) are significant around the world including Nigeria, and pregnant women infected with hepatitis B and C viruses represent a major reservoir of the viruses in the community. This research was conducted among 400 pregnant women in Ilorin Kwara State, Nigeria to determine the sero-prevalence of HBV and HCV. Method: Blood samples from consented pregnant women were collected and the blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg and Anti-HCV one step rapid test strip adopting immunochromatographic methods and all seropositive samples were confirmed by detecting the presence of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) for HBV and HCV respectively, using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: The result showed that 44 (11%) and 2 (0.5%) of the blood samples were positive for HBV and HCV respectively, 2 samples, however showed coinfection, being positive to both HBV and HCV. HBsAg was detected at a higher rate among pregnant women aged 30 and above than in any other age group, the difference was not statistically significant (p≥0.05). Conclusion: The data obtained from the structured questionnaires were also analyzed to demonstrate the reactivity levels of both HBV and HCV in relation to the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants included in this research.