High seroprevalence of viral hepatitis among animal handlers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

This study aimed at determining the prevalence of Hepatitis B, C, and E viruses among animal handlers in Abeokuta, southwestern Nigerian. A total of 156 subjects were recruited for the study. Sociodemographic and risks factors data were fetched from subjects using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Blood samples were collected via venepuncture and tested for HCV, HBV, and HEV using ELISA technique. Results were analyzed using SPSS software version 21.0 and P value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. The prevalence of HCV, HBV, and HEV were 46 (29.5%), 20 (12.8%), and 4 (2.6%) respectively while 6 (3.8%), 1 (0.6%), and 1 (0.6%) had co-infection of HBV-HCV, HBV-HEV, and HCV- HEV respectively. This study concludes that there is high prevalence of hepatitis C and B viruses among animal handlers in Abeokuta, Ogun state which is of significant public health problem, warranting further attention and research. PMID: 33044898 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry - Category: Biochemistry Tags: J Immunoassay Immunochem Source Type: research