Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen, anti-hepatitis C virus antibody and their associated factors among mothers living in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are major causes of acute and chronic liver disease and infection by these viruses during pregnancy is associated with maternal, fetal and neonatal health complications. Understanding the epidemiology of these viruses could be valuable to take appropriate preventive measures. Objective: This study aims to determine the seroprevalence and associated factors of HBV and HCV infection among mothers living in Harar, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 461 mothers living in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia from March 1 ­May 30, 2017. The systematic random sampling method was used to select the study participants. Sociodemographic information was collected through face-to-face interviews using pretested structured questionnaires. Five millilitres of venous blood was collected from each study subject and HBsAg and anti-HCV levels in sera were tested using a sandwich third generation Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Data was analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Result: The seroprevalence rates for HBV and HCV infection were 5.9% and 1.1%, respectively. None of the mothers were co-infected with HBV and HCV. Among the potential risk factors, previous history of abortion (AOR =3.7 95%, CI 1.4-9.6) and multiple sexual exposures (AOR =10.6, 95% CI 4.0-27.9) were significant predictors of HBV infection. Conclusion: This study determined that the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among mothers was 5.9% and 1.1% respectively. History of abortion and history of multiple sexual partners were significantly associated with HBV infection. Health education programs on the mode of HBV and HCV transmission, high-risk behaviours and methods of preventions are recommended to raise awareness and reduce the spread of infection

Serum level of anti-hepatitis B surface antigen and hbv associated factors among vaccinated and unvaccinated children in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia: a community - based study

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is a major global health problem which is known to be the main cause of liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Production of anti-HBs which is stimulated by HBV vaccine, provides protection against HBV infection. However, not all vaccinated children develop protective or durable levels of antibody against HBsAg. Therefore, testing for anti-HBs levels after HBV vaccination is important. Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess serum level of antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen among vaccinated and unvaccinated children in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. Method: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study design was used. 540 children within the ages of 5-8 years (284 vaccinated and 256 unvaccinated) were enrolled in the study using simple random sampling in selected kebeles. Three to five milliliters of blood was collected from each study participant. Serum was separated and anti-HBsAg level was determined using ELISA. A pretested, structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and HBV associated factors exposure information of the study participants and their parents. Data entry and statistical analysis were done using SPSS statistical software version 21. Logistic regressions with 95% CI were used to identify independent predictors of anti-HBs. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall seroprotection rate detected in this study was 95.4% among vaccinated children, whereas it was only 6.2% among unvaccinated children. 3.1% of unvaccinated children were positive for HBsAg, indicating chronic disease, whereas 1.1% of vaccinated children were HBsAg+. Anti-HBs levels declined from 414 U/ml at 5 years after vaccination to 105 U/ml after 8 years. Conclusion and Recommendation: Protective levels of anti-HBs were detected in 95.4% of vaccinated children suggesting that there is no need for a further booster dose for these children

Antibody response against Hepatitis B virus after vaccination and seroprevalence of HBV in children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Around two billion people have been infected with HBV worldwide, and more than 240 million are chronic carriers. Vaccine introduction for HBV in children was officially launched by the WHO in 1980. Since then the vaccine response level has been determined in different countries. Since the introduction of the vaccine in Ethiopia in 2007, few studies have been conducted to assess the antibody response against the HBV vaccine. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine antibody response against HBV after hepatitis B vaccination and assess the seroprevalence of HBV in children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multistage probability sampling technique. Four hundred and fifty children between the ages of 5 and 8 living in Addis Ababa were enrolled. Socio-demographic characteristics were obtained through a structured questionnaire and three to four ml of blood was collected from each child. ELISA was performed to determine antibody levels against HBV. Results:The mean age was 7+1 (SD) years. Anti-HBs were detected in 54.3% (208/450) of children with a slightly higher proportion of protective level in females 98 (54.7%) than males 110 (53.9%). The overall vaccine coverage in our study was 85.1 %. The proportion of children with a protective level (>10 mIU/ml anti-HBs antibody) declined as the age of the child increased: 52.6%, 60%, 43.5% and 37.1% at the age of 5, 6, 7 and 8 years, respectively. Seroprevalence of HBsAg was 0.4%, whereas seroprevalence of anti-HBc was 5.6%. Age was negatively correlated with the response level (p=0.001), whereas sex and history of HBV infection had no significant association. Age was also significantly associated with seroprevalence of anti-HBc (p=0.003). Conclusion: The HBV vaccine coverage in children was high but antibody response against the vaccine appears low. Seroprevalence of the virus was also low. The low response level to the vaccine should be a concern and revaccination or booster doses should be considered for non-responding children. Further studies should also be undertaken