Abstract:
Hepatitis B virus is one of the most common infectious disease in the world, infecting
two billion people, 350 million of them being chronically infected. It is primarily
transmitted through contact with body fluids of the infected person. The aim of the
study was to determine prevalence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus
infection among patients attending Special Treatment Centre clinic in Nairobi. The
blood samples were taken for serological analysis of hepatitis B proteins. The samples
were transported to KEMRI where they were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen
(HBsAg), hepatitis B antibodies and antibody to the HBV core protein (HBcAb) using
commercially available kits. A total of 200 adults; 80 males and 120 females aged 18-
60 years with a mean age of 32.77, SD=8.638 and a median of 31 years participated in
the study. In general, 9.5% (95% CI 7.3–12.4) of the respondents were positive for
hepatitis B surface antigen while 26.5% (23.4-29.5) respondents were positive for
Hepatitis B surface antibody. The prevalence of HBsAg among males and females was
10% (8/80) and 9.2% (11/120) respectively. A multivariate analysis of risk factors
showed that multiple sex partners (p=0.001), presence of genital ulcers (p=0.001) and
not using condom (p=0.0013) were associated with HBV infection. None of the study
participant reported having been vaccinated against hepatitis B virus. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, information on sexual behavior, and clinical
characteristics were collected using a semi structured interviewer administered
questionnaire. This current study has revealed that HBV infection is also endemic
among patients attending special treatment Centre. Therefore, this study group
constitute a target population for further HBV prevention and treatment through
provision of condom, early treatment of genital ulcer, health education on consistent
condom utilization and need for having one sex partner. Routine immunization with
hepatitis B (HB) vaccine is strongly recommended for the prevention of HBV
infection in individuals at risk for STIs.