Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C virus amongst patients attending five selected hospitals in Niger state, Nigeria.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus amongst patients attending five selected hospitals in Niger State. A total of 565 blood samples were screened using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV). Structured questionnaires were administered to participants and data were analyzed using SPSS Version 19.0 with P < 0.05 as the level of significance. HCV infection was detected in 44 out of the 565 blood samples examined. The overall prevalence was 7.8% with male 4.8% and female 3.0% respectively. Participants within age group 31-40 years had the highest prevalence (11.5%), 41-50 years followed closely with 11.0%, while >1-10 years, 21-30 years, ≥60 years and above, 51-60 years and 11-20 years had 9.1%, 8.3%, 4.0%, 3.5% and 2.3% in that order. All the demographic variables and risk factors considered in this study were not significantly associated with anti- HCV seropositives. The prevalence of HCV infection in Niger State was not high when compared with similar studies. However, compulsory public awareness campaigns against HCV infection and prevention programmes should be intensified.