Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Co-Infection Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Co-infection with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is rare in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) but where it occurs, it causes treatment dilemma. Many people with HIV are unaware that they may also be infected with HCV; but due to shared routes of transmission it happens. Coinfection with this virus complicates issues related to diagnosis, clinical disease progression, monitoring disease activity, treatment options and basic immunology. In view of the above and recent massive antiretroviral therapy program in Nigeria, it has become necessary to address issues of
potential impact of co-infection (HCV/HIV) as it affects clinical care of ante-natal women in Abuja, Nigeria. Blood samples from one thousand two hundred (1,200) ante-natal women collected from January 2005 to May 2006 were tested for antibodies against HIV- 1 and HIV-2 using a rapid test kit Unigold and Genie 11 HIV-1/HIV-2. These samples were also tested for antibodies against HCV by rapid chromatographic immunoassay HCV kit. The positive samples to HCV antibodies were further subjected to western blot for confirmation. Two hundred and three (203) samples were confirmed positive for HIV antibodies representing 16.9%. Five (5) samples out of 203 HIV positive samples were positive for HCV antibodies, representing 2.5%. The results show that, 2.5% of HIV seropositive
women may present with HCV co-infection because the route of transmission for both viruses have shown to be similar. There is therefore the need to fully integrate HCV screening as a routine test in the antenatal clinics.