Bioestadistica

Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology Vol. 4(6), pp. 178-183, June 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JPHE DOI: 10.5897/JPHE11.203 ISSN 2141-2316 ©2012 Academic JournalsFull Length Research Paper

Sero-prevalence study of Hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors attending selected blood banks in some Local Government Areas in Kano, Nigeria
A. H. Kawo1*, J.A. Bala2 and Y. U. Dabai3
Microbiology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Bayero University, P. M. B. 3011, Kano, Nigeria. 2 Department of Pathology, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano,Nigeria. 3 Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, P. M. B. 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Accepted 23 March, 2012
1

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection afflictsmore than 170 million people worldwide, with the great majority of patients having acute hepatitis C later developing into chronic HCV infection. 320 participants (80 in each of four blood banks fromWudil, Gaya, Sumaila and Takai Local Government Areas (LGA)) were tested for antibodies to HCV. Out of a total of the 320 subjects, 319 were males and 1 female between the ages of 14 to 54 years.Third-generation enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay was used in the analysis. 16 out of the 320 were reactive, representing 5.0% of the total population studied. This showed a high prevalence of HCVinfection among blood donors in this part of the country when compared with those established for western countries. Prevalence rate based on the 80 subjects in each LGA indicated Gaya and Wudil to havehighest prevalence of 5(6.3%) each, followed by Sumaila with 4(5.0%). Takai was observed to have the least prevalence rate of 2(2.5%). The relationship between the demographic data with HCV infectionrevealed no statistical significance (P > 0.05). However, the relationship between possible risk factors and HCV infection revealed significant statistical association in the transmission through family...