Abstract:
Background: Hepatitis B has been reported to be the 10th leading cause of death worldwide which accounts for 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths every year (Alavian et al., 2007). Alavian et al., (2007) also reported that hepatitis B related deaths are caused by chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The WHO estimated that, there are 240 million people who are chronically infected worldwide, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of HBV infection among pregnant women in the Gushegu district in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a consecutive sampling method to select women confirmed pregnant at any gestational age by clinical examination or an ultrasound scan. Blood samples were taken and tested for HBsAg. Data collected with the questionnaire and the test results were entered into Epi-info 7 and further exported into STATA 15.0 for analysis. Analysis was mainly univariate, bivariate and multivariate.
Results: Out of the 160 pregnant women included in the study, 15 (9.4%) were positive for Hepatitis B viral infection. The significant risk factors for hepatitis B infection were female genital mutilation (AOR-7.07; CI-95% 0.37-13.60; p=0.019), ear piercing history (AOR-1.58, CI-95%-015-2.31; p=0.20) and history of body tattoo or traditional marks (AOR-2.29; 95%CI- 0.63-8.37; p-0.020).
Conclusion: The Prevalence of Hepatitis B infection amongst pregnant women in the Gushegu district was 9.4%. This therefore makes the infection highly endemic in the locality based on the WHO criteria (≥8%). Compulsory screening, vaccination at free or cheaper cost and avoidance of traditional practices such as FGM, body tattooing and ear-piercing practices are the interventional approaches that must be considered to decrease the burden of hepatitis B infection in the district.
