RESEARCH ARTICLE
Sero-Prevalence, Infectivity, and Associated Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Virus Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Sankura Primary Hospital, Silte Zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2021
Bedru Argaw1, Shemsu Kedir2, *, Abdulmejid Mustefa2, Mubarek Yesse2, Leila Hussen2, Behradin Abdella3, Mohammed Muze3, Musa Jemal2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2022Volume: 16
E-location ID: e187428582206030
Publisher ID: e187428582206030
DOI: 10.2174/18742858-v16-e2206030
Article History:
Received Date: 13/1/2022Revision Received Date: 08/2/2022
Acceptance Date: 10/3/2022
Electronic publication date: 20/07/2022
Collection year: 2022
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Hepatitis B (HBV) infection causes a major public health problem around the globe. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Seroprevalence, infectivity, and associated factors of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Sankura Primary Hospital, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study design was conducted in Sankura Primary Hospital, Southern Ethiopia, from April to June 2020. A total of 338 pregnant women were recruited using systematic random sampling. Sociodemographic and associated risk factors were collected through a structured questionnaire. Blood samples and plasma analysis were performed for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) using the rapid test strip method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20, and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
The overall Seroprevalence of HBsAg was 11 (3.3%) [95% CI 1.5% - 5.0%], of whom 2 (18.2%) were positive for HBeAg. In multivariate analysis, a history of blood transfusion [AOR=4.8 95% CI (1.25-6.69)] and contact with a family history of the liver [AOR=5.7 95% CI (1.28-7.9)] was found to be significant predictors of HBV infections.
Conclusion:
The Seroprevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women in the study area was intermediate. Family history of liver disease and blood transfusion were risk factors associated with HBV infection. Hence, improving the screening of blood, increasing awareness about the transmission of HBV infection, and screening pregnant women for HBV infection should be implemented. The government will build efficient service delivery models equipped with an appropriate and well-trained workforce.
