Evaluation of vaccination status, awareness, and seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among female sex workers in Jos

Abstract

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the cause of hepatitis B infection, which can lead to malignancy and chronic liver cirrhosis. There is a dearth of research on the incidence of HBV among Nigerian women who work as sex workers despite the country being characterized as an endemic zone with prevalence among different occupational groups. The study evaluates the immunization status, awareness of the virus, and seroprevalence and predictors of hepatitis B virus infection among female sex workers. A descriptive cross-sectional study including 86 female sex workers in Jos brothels was conducted. Blood samples were collected using the Recombi LISA HbsAg ELISA kit (CTK Biotech Inc., San Diego, USA) to qualitatively detect HBsAg. Twenty (21) out of the 86 subjects tested positive, yielding a 24.4% prevalence rate. The highest prevalence was found among women in the 36–40 age range (40%), while the lowest (0.0%) was found among those in the age group <20 years. Married sex workers recorded the highest prevalence of 50%, while separated/divorced recorded the lowest prevalence of 10.0%. Also, female sex workers without a formal education had the highest prevalence of 66.7%. In comparison, the lowest prevalence of 0.0% was found among those with tertiary education. Those who engaged in sex work for less than five years had the highest prevalence of 30.8%, while the lowest was recorded among those who had five years and above in the sex trade, with a prevalence rate of 0.0%. There was no statistically significant correlation seen between these high percentages and HBV infection. Out of the 86 female sex workers, only 9 had received all three doses of the immunization. This high frequency of vaccine-preventable illness is intolerable; therefore, immunizing this high-risk HBV reservoir population should be justified.