The study looked to establish dual positivity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody among HIV-infected individuals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Plasma samples from 89 HIV-infected individuals presenting at the Retroviral Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State, Nigeria, were assayed for anti-HCV-antibody. Seropositivity of anti-HCV-antibody was detected with ELISA kits. Variables tested include sex, age group, educational status, marital status and occupation. Significant variance (p<0.05) existed between patients with mono-HIV infection and those with dual infection of HIV and HCV. Of these infections, 20(22.5%) had HIV and HCV dual infection, while 69(77.5%) had HIV mono-infection. Higher seroprevalence of HIV was found in females [65(73.0%)] than males [24(27.0%)]. The highest seroprevalence of HIV was found in the age group 41-60 years [41(46.1%)], and the age-group 20-30 years had the least prevalence [19(21.3%)]. Also, females had higher HIV and HCV dual positivity (23.1%) than males (20.8%). The age group 31-40 years in this study had the highest HIV and HCV dual positivity (34.5%), while the age group 41-60 years had the lowest prevalence (12.2%). Regarding marital status, singles constituted most study participants and had a dual positivity rate of 28.6% for HIV and HCV. This dual positivity was higher than those divorced and married, with 20.0% and 14.3% prevalence, respectively. Patients with tertiary education (27.3%) and those employed (41.2%) had a higher prevalence than others. None of these demographic characteristics was significantly associated with HIV-HCV dual positivity (p>0.05) except for occupations (p=0.04). Our study further confirms the dual positivity of HIV and anti-HCV in Rivers State, Nigeria. Planned prevention, screening, and treatment are required to reduce further transmission and morbidity.

Several diseases are associated with Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and they can be life threatening especially in immunocompromised individuals. Moreover, there is no well-established EBV prevention and control strategies in Nigeria. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the prevalence of Epstein Barr Nuclear Antigen (EBNA) IgM antibody among university students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A hospital based cross-sectional survey was adopted to randomly analyze 91 students attending lectures in University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to analyze EBNA IgM antibody in the samples obtained. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the association of the infection with socio-demographic factors. Of the 91 subjects, 3(3.2%) were seropositive for EBNA IgM antibody while 88(96.7%) were observed to be seronegative for EBNA IgM antibody. Sera EBNA IgM positivity was highest in age group 20-25 years (4.7%), single (3.2%), male (3.8%), students (3.9), sexually inactive (4.0%), oral sex (2.4%), non-Anal sex (3.4%), never using condoms (5.0%), dry kissing (11.1%), Non-smokers (4.0%), no history of blood transfusion (3.3%), no history of tissue transplant (3.2%), no history of surgery (3.2%). This study confirms the presence of Epstein Barr virus primary infection among university students in Port Harcourt, and an onward risk of Infectious mononucleosis. This comes with the responsibility of establishing surveillance programs for detection, treatment and control of EBV in Port Harcourt and Nigeria at large.

Background: Rubella is a contagious virus-borne disease. The study aimed to test a cohort of non-pregnant women in Rivers State for rubella virus IgG antibodies and identify their susceptibility to the viral infection. Methods: The study included 92 consenting non-pregnant women attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Rivers State. The sera were evaluated for detectable anti-rubella IgG antibodies using ELISA kits according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results: Eighty-five (92.4 per cent) of the 92 samples tested positive for rubella Immunoglobulin G antibodies, while 7 (7.6 per cent) tested negative. Rubella IgG seroprevalence was unrelated to age, education, or occupation. Conclusion: Given the high level of rubella IgG among non-pregnant women tested in Rivers State, it is likely that the virus is prevalent in the research area. As a result, a robust surveillance system and the organization of screening for anti-rubella IgG antibodies in pregnant women would be critical for future protection against the illness.