PREVALENCE OF HBSAg AMONG FEBRILE PATIENTS ATTENDING LAG CLINIC IN LAGOS

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus belongs to a family of closely related DNA viruses called the hepadnaviruses which is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, accounting for 1 million deaths annually. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of HBsAg viral marker among patients attending LAG Clinic with febrile illness. The study population includes 92 outpatients consisting of 32 males and 60 females. The screening of HBsAg was carried out using the rapid labs ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test kit. The result of this study showed that, 2 male patients were positive for HBsAg giving the prevalence of 6.3%, within the age limit of 21-30year and 41-50year, none of the female patients were positive for HBsAg. Overall, a prevalence of 2.17% was recorded in this study. The low prevalence observed can be attributed to the small number of samples recruited for this study. Increased sensitization and screening of HBV is recommended in other to further our understanding regarding the burden of Hepatitis B and to strengthen current public health interventions on management of this disease.