Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B and C viral infections are among the
common infectious diseases with global public health dmpottance.
Nigeria is among the countries identified to be hyper-endemic for
hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to determine the
seroprevalence of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections
among healthcare seekers at Bingham University Teaching Hospital,
Jos, Nigeria, to increase awareness among the populace and sensitize
public health stakeholders.
METHODS: A retrospective study that involved data abstraction
from the medical laboratory records of patients seeking care at
Bingham University Teaching Hospital. The information collected
included screening result for HBsAg and anti-HCV. Data were
analyzed using SPSS version 24.
RESULTS: A total of 186 patients were screened for HBV infection
and 96 were screened for HCV infection. The mean ages and
standard deviations were 36.2 + 15.05 years and 37.2 ± 14.48 years
for those screened for HBV and HCV, respectively. The
seroprevalence rate of HBV infection was 14.0% while the rate for
HCV infection was 10.4%. Males had a higher HBV seroprevalence
of 9.1% than females with 4.9%. For HCV seroprevalence, females
recorded a higher prevalence of 6.2% compared to their male
counterparts who had 4.2%. Among those screened for HBV, the
young adult age group had the highest prevalence rate of 10.2%,
while for the HCV screen the middle-aged group had the highest
prevalence rate of 6.2%. These were, however, not statistically
significant (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: This study has shown that both HBV and HCV
infections are hyper-endemic. There is a need to intensify awareness
campaigns and improve the implementation of preventive and
management strategies for HBV and HCV infections.
