Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among febrile individuals tested at Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory (MHRL) in Bo, Sierra Leone.

Results

A total of 860 febrile individuals ages 5 years and older were tested by MHRL between July 2012 and June 2013 with a Standard Diagnostics Bioline HBsAg rapid diagnostic test. The overall HBsAg prevalence rate was 13.7%, including a rate of 15.5% among males and 12.6% among females. The HBsAg rate did not differ by child or adult age group (p > 0.5). The prevalence rate in Bo was similar to the 11–15% HBsAg prevalence rates reported in the past decade from other studies across West Africa. Scaling up the infant hepatitis B vaccination program in Sierra Leone will be important for reducing the future burden of disease and premature death attributable to chronic viral hepatitis B disease.

Details

Title
Seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Bo, Sierra Leone, 2012–2013
Author
Rashid Ansumana; Donald F. Dariano 3rd; Jacobsen, Kathryn H; Leski, Tomasz A; Lamin, Joseph M; Lahai, Joseph; Bangura, Umaru; Bockarie, Alfred S; Taitt, Chris R; Yasuda, Chadwick; Bockarie, Moses J; Stenger, David A
Pages
1-4
Section
Research note
Publication year
2018
Publication date
2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
17560500
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-018-3218-8
ProQuest document ID
2791322116
Copyright
© 2018. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.