Abstrato

Seroprevalence and genotype profile of hepatitis B virus among antenatal attendees of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Yahaya Shaibu Usman

Nigeria like other sub-Saharan Africa countries falls among WHO`s hyperendemic region for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and with prevalence greater than 8%. It’s been found out that in hyperendemic regions, the major route of acquisition of this virus is by mother-to-child transmission at the time of birth or infancy. Newborns that contract the infection have about 90% risk of developing chronic HBsAg carriage and 25% risk of chronic liver diseases. The genotypes of hepatitis B virus influence its mode of transmission, geographic distribution, clinical outcome and response to antiviral therapy. AIMS: This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and genotype profile of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria.