ABSTRACT
Background: It is well known that Hepatitis B virus infection is endemic in Nigeria. Even though studies have been carried out on Hepatitis B virus infection in different parts of Nigeria; and in different sub-groups of individuals; information regarding the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women is scanty especially from the North-eastern region of Nigeria. We therefore determined the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) amongst pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out. The setting was the ante-natal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre; Yola; Nigeria. The duration of the study was from July 2008 to December 2008. Two hundred and thirty-one consecutively recruited pregnant women were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen. Positive samples were re-tested using ELISA to eliminate false positives. Their biodata were obtained using a questionnaire to establish the presence of possible risk factors such as blood transfusion; surgery; etc. Written informed consent was obtained from each woman. Results: Out of the 231 pregnant women tested; nineteen of them were seropositive for Hepatitis B virus infection giving an infection rate of 8.2. Women in the age group 25-29 years had the highest HBV infection rate. Conclusion: This study confirms a high seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus infect ion amongst pregnant women. It is recommended that pregnant women should be routinely screened for Hepatitis B virus infection as part of antenatal care services
Subject(s)
Cross-Sectional Studies , Hepatitis B virus , Pregnant Women , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
Background: It is well known that Hepatitis B virus infection is endemic in Nigeria. Even though studies have been carried out on Hepatitis B virus infection in different parts of Nigeria; and in different sub-groups of individuals; information regarding the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women is scanty especially from the North-eastern region of Nigeria. We therefore determined the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) amongst pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out. The setting was the ante-natal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre; Yola; Nigeria. The duration of the study was from July 2008 to December 2008. Two hundred and thirty-one consecutively recruited pregnant women were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen. Positive samples were re-tested using ELISA to eliminate false positives. Their biodata were obtained using a questionnaire to establish the presence of possible risk factors such as blood transfusion; surgery; etc. Written informed consent was obtained from each woman. Results: Out of the 231 pregnant women tested; nineteen of them were seropositive for Hepatitis B virus infection giving an infection rate of 8.2. Women in the age group 25-29 years had the highest HBV infection rate. Conclusion: This study confirms a high seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus infect ion amongst pregnant women. It is recommended that pregnant women should be routinely screened for Hepatitis B virus infection as part of antenatal care services
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B virus , Pregnant Women , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
Tobacco smoking is a growing public health problem in the developing world. The health hazards of smoking are well documented; and prevention of smoking has been described as the single greatest opportunity for preventing noncommunicable disease in the world today. A cross-sectional survey was carried out to determine the cigarette smoking habits among adolescents in a rural setting in northeast Nigeria. One hundred and seventy-one (171) adolescents aged 12 to 17 were randomly selected from four districts of Yola south Local Government Area of Adamawa State. They responded to a modified version of the standard questionnaire recommended for surveying smoking habits in young people. Of 109 males; 44 (40) and 62 females fourteen (23) were current light smokers; with over 85of all smokers consuming fewer than 10 cigarettes a day. The prevalence of smoking in this study was 33.9. Over half of current smokers and ex-smokers started smoking between the ages of 13 and 15 years. The largest group of male and female smokers were influenced to start smoking by the relative influence of one or both parents; siblings; or friends; and only 25of males and 21.4of females were influenced by advertisements. Most respondents continued to smoke even when they were aware of the health hazards of smoking. Anti-tobacco education and awareness should be adopted in the curriculum of schools and colleges. All forms of tobacco advertising and promotional activities should be banned in Nigeria; and parents should be encouraged to adopt more responsible attitudes toward smoking in the home