High prevalence of hepatitis B virus among female sex workers in Nigeria
Keywords:
HbsAg, Prevalence, Female sex workersAbstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in Nigeria and constitutes a public health menace. The prevalence of HBV infection in many professional groups has been described in Nigeria. However, literature on HBV infection among female sex workers (FSW) in Nigeria is scanty. FSW in Nigeria are not subjected to a preventive control of HBV infection. This study assesses the extent of spread of HBV among FSW in Nigeria. Seven hundred and twenty (n = 720) FSW (mean age = 26.7 years) were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by a double antibody sandwich ELISA method. The overall HBV prevalence among the FSW was 17.1%. FSWs between the ages of 31-35 year (20.5%) and those with 'age-at-first-sex' below 10 years of age (28%) were most affected. This high prevalence of a vaccine preventable disease is unacceptable, therefore, vaccination of this high risk HBV reservoir group should be considered worthwhile.Downloads
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Published
2008-08-01
Issue
Section
Hepatitis
How to Cite
Forbi, J. C., Onyemauwa, N., Gyar, S. D., Oyeleye, A. O., Entonu, P., & Agwale, S. M. (2008). High prevalence of hepatitis B virus among female sex workers in Nigeria . Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo, 50(4), 219-221. https://www.revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/31189