Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV in Pregnant Women in the Community in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeff Maotela Kabinda^1,2,3, Tony Shindano Akilimali², Ahuka Serge Miyanga¹, Philippe Donnen^4,5,6, Dramaix-Wilmet Michèle^3,4,5

¹Provincial Blood Transfusion Centre of Bukavu, Bukavu, Congo.
²Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Congo.
³Research Centre in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Brussels, Belgium.
⁴Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵School of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium.
⁶Centre for Policy and Health Systems/International Health, Brussels, Belgium.

DOI: 10.4236/wja.2015.52015                

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV in pregnant women and identify risk factors. Materials and Methods: Descriptive and analytical study on pregnant women in the community Maniema (DRC) between 24 June and 24 July 2013. We enrolled a total of 581 pregnant women. Results: Prevalence among pregnant women was 4.1% (2.5% to 6.3%) for HIV, 5.9% (3.9% to 8.4%) for the HBsAg and 4.1% (2.5% to 6.4%) for hepatitis C. The risk factor was for HIV, blood transfusion history in women. For HBsAg the main risk factor was the tattoo history and no statistically significant factor was found for hepatitis C. Conclusion: To reduce the risk of transmission of hepatitis from mother to child, all pregnant women should be screened prenatally. A strengthening of routine screening of blood products must be done and a health education of the population on the mode of contamination should be conducted.

Keywords

HBV, HCV, HIV, Pregnancy, Risk Factors

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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