HBV, HIV high among pregnant women at CMR clinic

Pregnant women in Cameroon had a high seroprevalence for hepatitis B virus infection and HIV, but not hepatitis C virus, according to data presented at ICAAC 2014.

In 2012, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of 479 pregnant women (mean age, 24.2 years) who underwent prenatal consultations and had blood samples drawn at a mission clinic in southern Cameroon.

As a means of enacting treatment programs and preventing vertical transmission of disease, researchers sought to determine the seroprevalence among pregnant women in the tropical area.

Overall seroprevalence rates were 11.1% (95% CI, 8.4-14.2) for HBV, 8.8% (95% CI, 6.4-11.6) for HIV and 1.3% (95% CI, 0.5-2.7) for HCV infections. Three hundred eighty-five patients were negative for all three infections, and none showed evidence of triple infection.

Seroprevalence for HBV/HCV coinfection was 0.2% (95% CI, 0.005-1.2) and HBV/HIV coinfection was 1.3% (95% CI, 0.5-2.7). Approximately 13% of the patients (n=62) had other sexually transmitted diseases (95% CI, 10.1-16.3), including 40 who also were positive for HBV.

The highest amount of HIV seroprevalence was found in patients aged 26 to 30 years, whereas the highest seroprevalence of HBV and HCV occurred in patients aged younger than 21 years.

“The most prevalent monoinfections among pregnant women in Cameroon were HBV and HIV, whereas HCV monoinfection was uncommon,” the researchers wrote. “Vertical transmission of [HBV] can be prevented by gamma globulin (HBIG), however, [it] is not available in Cameroon. The implementation of HBIG treatment and HBV vaccination programs is necessary through international assistance programs.”