ABSTRACT
Background:HBVinfectionisaseriousailmentwhichdamagestheliveryetnotwellknownandhencenotgivenadequateattention.Manyareinfectedbutarenotawarebecausetheydonotmanifestanysignandsymptom.Aim:ThepurposeofthisstudywasthereforetoevaluatetheprevalenceofHBsAgamongasymptomatichospitalattendees.StudyDesign:Acrosssectionalstudy.PlaceandDurationofStudy:StMary’sCatholicHospital,Ibadan,Nigeria,betweenNovember2017andAugust2018Methodology:1328consecutivepatientswhoattendedthehospitalwereenrolledintothisstudyafterobtainingtheirconsent.TheirbloodsampleswereasepticallycollectedandassayedforHBsAgusingconventionalmethod.Results:Atotalof1,328participantswereenrolled,outofwhich421(31.7%)weremaleand907(68.3%)werefemalewithagenderratioof1:2.2-maletofemale.5.9%(25/421)ofthemalestestedpositivetoHBsAgwhile5.4%(49/907)ofthefemalestestedpositivetoHBsAg(p=0.692).Oftheoverall1328individualsscreened,5.6%testedpositivetoHBsAg.TheagegroupwiththehighestprevalenceofHBsAgwerethosebetween51and60yearswith13.1%followedby41-50years(7.2%)while>70yearshadthelowestprevalence.Conclusion:ThisstudyshowedthatHBsAginfectionishighamongasymptomatichospitalattendeesinIbadan,Nigeria.Morepublicsensitizationandawarenessprogrammesarestronglyadvocatedfor