Prevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection and Associated Risk Factors Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care Clinics in Kofele Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major public health problems affecting many people worldwide. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence and associated factors of HBsAg carriage among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in Kofele Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia from January to April, 2016. A total of 270 pregnant women were recruited using systematic random sampling method. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demography and risk factors for HBsAg carriage. Moreover, venous blood samples were collected from all study participants and sera were analyzed for HBsAg marker using SD BIOLINEHBsAg strip test. The prevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women was 5.9%. The age of the women varied from 17–41 years (mean age 24.5 years) and 40.0% were in the age category of 20–24 years. Participants with no formal education (AOR= 6.2; 95% CI= 1.35-28.74, P= 0.019) and had a history of abortion were at higher odds of being HBsAg carrier (AOR= 6.23; 95% CI= 1.74-22.5, P= 0.005). The study showed an intimidate prevalence of HBV infection on the basis of the World Health Organization HBV endemic definition (5-7% HBsAg prevalence). Therefore, screening pregnant women for HBV infection and making the vaccine available to exposed babies need to be emphasized.