Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Positivity Among Antenatal Attendees in A Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus infection is a public health problem in our environment. Vertical transmission from 
mother to baby is an important route of transmission of the virus. Neonates who contact hepatitis B have an almost 90% risk 
of developing chronic HBsAg carriage and chronic liver disease. Neonatal immunization interrupts this carriage. Adult 
immunization and treatment reduce the transmissibility and the viral burden. 
AIMS: The study is aimed to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen positivity and possible associated risk 
factors to the spread of the virus among antenatal attendee.  
METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted among 158 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of the Federal 
Medical Centre, Owerri, Nigeria. Serum was extracted from venous blood collected from each subject and tested for the 
presence of HBsAg using one step HBsAg test strip. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data 
as well as to ascertain possible risk factors. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant association. 
RESULTS: Fifteen out of one hundred and fifty-eight women were seropositive for HBsAg giving a seroprevalence rate of 
9.5%. The seroprevalence of HBsAg increased significantly with increasing age of the patients. There were significant 
associations between the disease and the patient’s occupations, occupations related to needlework, past history of traditional 
surgery amongst others. There were no significant associations between Hepatitis B surface antigen seroprevalence and 
religion of the patients’, educational level, past history of jaundice or liver disease amongst others.  
CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of HBsAg in the study was high. This reinforces the need for routine antenatal screening 
for HBsAg, routine neonatal passive immunization for neonates of HBsAg positive mothers and active immunization for all