Prevalence of the hepatitis B surface antigen in a population of workers in Cameroon

Firmin Ankouane Andoulo, Michèle Tagni-Sartre, Dominique Noah Noah, Roger Djapa, Elie Claude Ndjitoyap Ndam

Medical Center “La Cathédrale”, Yaounde, Cameroon.
University Hospital of Yaounde, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Yaounde General Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Uni- versity of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.

DOI: 10.4236/ojgas.2013.38057                

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.

Keywords

Hepatitis B Virus; HBs Antigen; Chronic Carrier; Prevalence; Cameroon

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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