Burden of Hepatitis B virus and the risk of vertical Transmission at the Penka Michel Health District, Cameroon

CaHReF 20116, Yaoundé Conges hall, 23 – 26 August 2016 , PL026

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is transmitted through blood and infected body fluids. Prevention of vertical transmission is of high importance since early infection in life usually results in a chronic carrier state. Among the risk factors are infants born by infected mothers. In this study we evaluated the overall prevalence of HBV in pregnant women and their children in Penka- Michel, a rural health district in West Region of Cameroon, as well as the incidence of socio-demographic characteristics of the study population.

The study was carried out from February to June 2014 and involved 1021 pregnant women and 751 of their children born at the Penka-Michel health district. Questionnaire was administered to identify factors that may influence the transmission rate of HBV in pregnant women and their children. Blood samples from volunteers were screened for the serological markers (HBcAb, HBeAb, HBeAg and HBsAg) using ELISA method.
The overall prevalence of hepatitis B based on the positivity to HBsAg was estimated at 15.2% while the prevalence of HBeAg, anti-HBe and anti-HBc were respectively 2.2%, 0.9% and 77.4%. The highest prevalence rate of HBsAg (24.5%) was recorded for pregnant women aged above 40 years and the lowest recorded (13.9%) for those aged between 15-19 years. In children the prevalence of HBsAg was estimated at 10.7%. 

This study indicates that in rural areas of Cameroon, hepatitis B infection may be high, and improved education on the severity and mode of transmission of the virus may be a very important strategy to reduce the hepatitis B prevalence in pregnant women and their children.

Hepatitis B; Serological markers; pregnant women; Children, HBsAg.