Abstract

HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) AND SYPHILIS CO-INFECTIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF EKITI, SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Author(s):Akinbolaji Thompson J, Odeyemi Festus A, Adegeye Festus O, Ojo Olalekan I, Akinseye Funmilayo J

This study was carried out to know the prevalence of hepatitis B, syphilis and co-infection of both among the people of Ekiti, South-West, Nigeria. Individuals and patients who visited the Haematology and Blood Transfusion Unit of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti to screen themselves for HBV and Syphilis infections between January to November, 2014 were recruited for this study having obtained their consent. 4ml of blood sample was collected from each subject into a plain bottle and was allowed to stand for 1hour for clotting and clot retraction to take place. Sera were separated into khan tubes labeled appropriately and were screened for the presence of antibodies to HVB and syphilis using One-Stage Rapid Test Kits (DiaSpot Diagnostics) and were later confirmed using enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) (Stat Fax Awareness, England). One Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty-Nine subjects were recruited for this study, out of which Seven Hundred and Seventy-Four were males while Eight Hundred and Sixty-Five were females. 101(6.16%) were positive to HBV, 51(0.92%) positive to syphilis and 5(0.31%) were co-infected with both infections. The results of this study showed higher prevalence of hepatitis B infection than syphilis infection with the highest prevalence found within the age group 31-40 years and 21-30 years indicating that most of the infected people got the infection through sexual intercourse.

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