Prevalence of the hepatitis B surface antigen in a population of workers in Cameroon

Abstract

Hepatitis B surface antigen prevalence in populations of blood donors in Cameroon is estimated at 6%-16%. As such, the Objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen in a population of bank employees, who represent a sample closer to the general population. In tests carried out both Yaounde and Douala in December 2011, we detected the hepatitis B surface antigen among 267 workers, including 151 men and 116 women of a median age of 37 years. The Results obtained revealed that the overall prevalence stood at 7.1%, with a 9.9% prevalence ratio in men, three times higher than that in women (3.4%). Subjects aged 20-29 years and senior staffs were more affected (each of them recording 8.1%). Potential nosocomial risks were detected mostly at the level of dental care (52.8%). Among the other risks of exposure, scarification (53.6%) was more frequent. A univariate analysis revealed an insignificant relationship with tattoos (OR 2.6, 95% CI 0.5-10.8, p = 0.2). These results led to the Conclusion that Hepatitis B surface antigen carrier prevalence in a population of workers in Cameroon is not different from that of blood donors. It is mainly due to early vertical and horizontal contamination.

High Frequency of HBeAg-Negative Cases in Naive HBsAg-Positive Subjects with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Managed in the Yaoundé Hepatitis Therapeutic Committee: A Cross Sectional Study

“…The results of this study are similar to those of the study we previously conducted with a population of workers [17]. They are also similar to results of previous studies in our country [18] [19] and various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso [20], Ghana [21] and Ivory Coast [22].…”

Diagnosis of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection in Low Out-Outcome Country: Rapid Urease Test, Serological Test, versus Direct Microbiological Examination with Gram Stain

“…The prevalence of H. pylori infection depended on the diagnostic test used. For the rapid urease test, the direct microbiological test, the prevalences found were comparable to those found in various studies in Cameroon as well as in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa [8] [10] [11] [18] [19]. There are a few studies in Cameroon with higher prevalences, but the type of diagnostic tests used and the target population must be considered [9].…”

“…The prevalence is estimated at 50% worldwide, with 70% -80% of cases from resource-limited countries and 15% -30% from developed countries [6] [7]. In Cameroon, the overall prevalence of H. pylori infection varies from 47.4% to 72.5% depending on the study [8] [9] [10] [11], which, is due to the different techniques used to diagnose H. pylori infection. Several invasive and non-invasive methods have been developed and validated for the diagnosis of H. pylori [7] [12] [13] [14].…”

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Hepatitis B among two rural communities of the Anglophone regions in Cameroon

“…Study on KAP is essential to improve the awareness, on transmission, prevention, importance of early diagnosis for appropriate management. This study to the best of our knowledge is the first comprehensive study carried out in the entire country to obtain KAP towards HB among healthy individuals in a rural communityin an endemic area like Cameroon [20].…”

“…Although HIV and HBV shared common transmission and prevention means lack of knowledge on HB transmission may be attributed to high prevalence of HB 7.1% -16% [8, 20,23,24]seen among different groups of person in Cameroon.…”