World Viral Hepatitis Day in Burkina Faso, 2020: awareness, prevention and hepatitis B vaccine to achieve the WHO eradication goal by 2030

Abstract

Running title: Hepatitis B vaccine coverage in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is located in a region where hepatitis B is endemic with low vaccination coverage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vaccine coverage during Hepatitis B screening campaign organized by "SOS Hepatitis Burkina"in Ouagadougou in July 2020. A rapid HBsAg detection test (Abon Biopharma Guangzhou, Co., Ltd. China; sensitivity > 99.0%; specificity, 96.8%) was performed on 252 individuals who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Centre de recherche Biomoleculaire Pietro Annigoni (CERBA).We included 252 participants aged 2 to 77 years (mean age 31.77±14.07 and 29.67±13.71 for males and females, respectively). The prevalence of HBsAg was 18.25% (46/252) and was slightly high in the age groups 21-30 years (23.71%) and 31-40 years (23.73%). Out of 252 participants, 25 HBV-negative participants were vaccinated, giving a vaccination rate of 9.92%.This study reports a high prevalence of HBV infection in Burkina Faso with low vaccination coverage. The study suggests that more attention should be paid to HBV prevention in Burkina Faso