Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Épidémiologique et de Formation, Dakar, Sénégal.
PLoS One. 2024 Apr 18;19(4):e0273589. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273589. eCollection 2024.
Infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major issue in public health. The prevalence of HBV in Chad is 12.4%, all age groups considered. Here, we aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV and its associated factors among university students in N'Djamena, the country's capital.
A cross-sectional survey of students at either the University of N'djamena or Emi Koussi University was conducted from 3 to 23 July 2021. All participating students provided signed, informed consent and were included in the study consecutively. Blood samples were collected, and serum tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using the Determine HBsAg rapid test kit, with confirmation of positive tests on an Abbott Architect i1000SR analyzer. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to determine associations between the outcome variable and independent/covariate variables.
A total of 457 students with a median age of 24 years were included across different faculties. The prevalence of HBV infection was 14.87% (68/457). Most students (75%) were aged 25 years or less. Unprotected sex was reported by 64.9% of the students and multiple sexual partners by 53.6%. Furthermore, 45.7% of them reported having no knowledge of hepatitis B. Having an HBsAg-positive mother (AOR: 2.11), having a history of transcutaneous medical procedures (AOR: 2.97) and living with a family (AOR: 4.63) were significantly associated with HBV status. Age ≥26 years appeared as a protective factor (AOR = 0.41).
Our study detected a high, 14.87% prevalence of HBV infection among students in N'djamena, Chad, and shed light on its associated factors. HBV prevention strategies should include raising awareness among students, making full hepatitis vaccination mandatory before children begin school, promoting mass screening to identify and treat chronic HBV carriers and reduce transmission, and reducing the cost of vaccination.
乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染是公共卫生的一个主要问题。考虑到所有年龄组，乍得的 HBV 流行率为 12.4%。在这里，我们旨在确定首都恩贾梅纳大学生中 HBV 的流行率及其相关因素。
2021 年 7 月 3 日至 23 日，对恩贾梅纳大学或埃米库西大学的学生进行了横断面调查。所有参与的学生都签署了知情同意书，并连续纳入研究。采集血样，使用 Determine HBsAg 快速检测试剂盒检测血清乙型肝炎表面抗原（HBsAg），在 Abbott Architect i1000SR 分析仪上对阳性检测结果进行确认。使用描述性分析和逻辑回归来确定因变量和独立/协变量之间的关联。
共纳入来自不同院系的 457 名中位年龄为 24 岁的学生。HBV 感染的流行率为 14.87%（68/457）。大多数学生（75%）年龄在 25 岁或以下。64.9%的学生报告有过无保护性行为，53.6%的学生有多个性伴侣。此外，45.7%的学生表示对乙型肝炎一无所知。HBsAg 阳性母亲（AOR：2.11）、有经皮医疗程序史（AOR：2.97）和与家人一起生活（AOR：4.63）与 HBV 状态显著相关。年龄≥26 岁是一个保护因素（AOR=0.41）。
我们的研究检测到乍得恩贾梅纳学生中 HBV 感染的高流行率，为 14.87%，并揭示了其相关因素。HBV 预防策略应包括提高学生的认识，在儿童开始上学前强制进行全面乙型肝炎疫苗接种，推广大规模筛查以发现和治疗慢性 HBV 携带者并减少传播，并降低疫苗接种成本。
