Department of Biological Sciences, Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2018 Dec;8(3-4):115-123. doi: 10.2991/j.jegh.2018.09.002.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, maternal complications, and neonatal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Pregnant women serve as a major reservoir for the persistence and ongoing transmission of hepatitis B virus and HIV in a generalized heterosexual epidemic. The aim of this study is to assess the epidemiology of Hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in South West-Nigeria. This is a cross-sectional study of 353 pregnant women across 10 health facilities in the region. Results showed that of the 353 pregnant women tested, 37 were positive for the HBV antigen giving a prevalence estimate of 10.5% (95% CI: 7.5%-14.2%). We found significant negative association between odds of HBV infection and knowledge of HBV transmission through sex (OR: 0.30: 95%CI-0.11-0.82) and a positive association with blood transfusion in the past three months (OR: 9.5: 95% CI-1.58-57.14). Findings strongly suggest high endemicity of HBV and the possible implication of blood transfusion as a major route of ongoing HBV transmission among pregnant women in south-western Nigeria. We recommend further study of a prospective design to investigate the possible causal link between blood transfusion and the risk of HBV infection among pregnant women in Nigeria.
乙型肝炎病毒 (HBV) 仍然是撒哈拉以南非洲地区慢性肝炎、产妇并发症和新生儿死亡的主要原因。在普遍存在的异性恋流行中，孕妇是乙型肝炎病毒和 HIV 持续存在和持续传播的主要储主。本研究旨在评估尼日利亚西南部孕妇中乙型肝炎感染的流行病学。这是一项对该地区 10 个卫生机构的 353 名孕妇进行的横断面研究。结果表明，在 353 名接受检测的孕妇中，有 37 名 HBV 抗原阳性，患病率估计为 10.5%（95%CI：7.5%-14.2%）。我们发现 HBV 感染的几率与性传播 HBV 传播的知识呈显著负相关（OR：0.30：95%CI-0.11-0.82），与过去三个月的输血呈正相关（OR：9.5：95%CI-1.58-57.14）。研究结果强烈表明，HBV 在尼日利亚西南部孕妇中高度流行，输血可能是 HBV 持续传播的主要途径。我们建议进一步研究前瞻性设计，以调查输血与尼日利亚孕妇中 HBV 感染风险之间的可能因果关系。
