assesment of risk factors of hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection among adults in selected sub counties in ngora district

Description

Introduction; Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health challenge. Prevalence of current hepatitis B virus infection in the general population of Uganda is about 10%. Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the infectious diseases that are currently on the rise both in Uganda and the world at large, it is a viral disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection is of great public health concern because it’s highly infectious and if unattended to infects the liver causing hepatocellular necrosis and inflammation. This infection is specifically highly prevalent in north and eastern Uganda a reason to why this study was carried out in Ngora district which falls in one of these regions. The main objective of this study was to assess risk factors that are associated with HBV infection among adults in selected sub counties in Ngora district, the specific objectives were; to assess the individual, knowledge and health facility factors associated with HBV infection in the study population. Methodology; This study was conducted using a cross-sectional study design that employed qualitative methods to collect data from 281 adults aged 18-50 years in three selected sub counties of Kobwin, Mukura and Ngora town council of Ngora district. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 to determine frequencies and association of independent variables with risk of HBV infection. Results; The study findings revealed a self-reported HBV infection prevalence of 20.6% and identified four major risk factors that had direct association with HBV infection namely; knowledge that handling body fluids with bear hands can transmit HBV (OR 3.087, p 0.029), vaccination following a negative HBV test (OR 1.018), history of treatment for STI (OR 1.409), and cost of HBV services (OR 9.742 and p, 0.06). Conclusion; This study therefore assessed that it is majorly knowledge and health facility factors that predispose the adults in Ngora to HBV infection. Recommendation; The MOH should continue providing sustainable, free HBV screening and vaccination services to all adults alongside awareness campaign in Ngora district. The district health team should carry out Behavior change communication for prevention of HBV infection targeting individuals on issues such as protected sex, reduction of sexual partners and body fluid handling. Further studies should also be done to determine the most affected population in regards to gender, age and occupation; it’s of importance to note that biomedical studies about HBV are lacking in Uganda and need to be invested in.