TITLE:
Prevalence of the hepatitis B surface antigen in a population of workers in Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Firmin Ankouane Andoulo, Michèle Tagni-Sartre, Dominique Noah Noah, Roger Djapa, Elie Claude Ndjitoyap Ndam
KEYWORDS:
Hepatitis B Virus; HBs Antigen; Chronic Carrier; Prevalence; Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Gastroenterology,
Vol.3 No.8,
December
26,
2013
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.