Hepatitis B Virus Carriage among Students of a Nigerian Tertiary Institution: A Cohort of Eligible Blood Donors

Hepatitis B virus infection may go unnoticed because >50% of the cases are subclinical. Infected people therefore either unconsciously contribute to the transmission of the virus or do not seek medical attention with a resultant liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was mooted to provide a prevalence baseline data in a cohort that is eligible for blood donations with a view to instituting proactive prevention programmes. About 200 students that indicated willingness to participate in this study were recruited. About 5 mL of venous blood was taken from each student and the resultant serum screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using smart Check HBsAg ELISA (Globalmed, South Africa (PTY) Cape Town). Positive samples were confirmed with Clinotech HBsAg test kit (Clinotech diagnostic and Pharmaceuticals, Canada). Screening was performed according to the manufacturers instructions. Of the 200 samples screened, 23 (11.5%) tested positive. There was no statistically significant association between the viral infection and gender, age, having multiple sex partners, possession of tribal marks and drug injections (p>0.05). This prevalence of 11.5% is a cause for alarm especially in a cohort that is eligible for blood donation. It is therefore necessary to intensify health promotion efforts in the tertiary institutions.