Abstract:Background: Sub-Sahara Africa including Nigeria has the second largest global burden of chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after Asia. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV is the most commonroute of transmission in high endemic areas .MTCT of hepatitis B virus infection continues to occur despite the interventions of hepatitis B vaccinations and immunoglobulins in settings where it is practiced. Infants most at risk are those whose mothers have high HBV DNA viral loads and produce the protein HBeAg. Various Nigerian studies have reported high HBV infection rates as well as HBeAg positivity among pregnant women. These HBV infections usually occur intrapartum and rarely inutero. Mothers with HBeAg positivity known to be associated with higher HBV DNA viral loads have been linked with higher chances of MTCT as HBeAg is the only structural HBV protein that can cross into the placental circulation. In the absence of post exposure prophylaxis about 40 percent of infants delivered by HBV infected mothers could develop HBV infections, and about 25% of them may come down with chronic hepatitis and resulting possible complications including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer later in life. The prevention of transmission of retroviral infection from motherto-child has been a success story of the 21 st century and such feat could be replicated for HBV infection. The standard PMTCT of HBV currently will comprise: timely prenatal screening, starting anti-viral therapy for pregnant women with HBeAg positivity and high viral load, infant postexposure prophylaxis and followup of infants of HBsAg positive mothers. There is no co-ordinated PMTCT of HBV programme in place in our setting despite the huge burden of the disease in Nigeria. Hence the need therefore to develop a home grown PMTCT programme of HBV to help tackle the burden of the disease in our country. An evidence based review of current best practice guidelines for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV for use in low and medium resource income settings with hepatitis B hyperendemicity will be quiet apt in this circumstance. This document therefore will be useful as a quick guide to Paediatricians, Obstetricians, Family Physicians, General Practice Doctors and other allied health workers charged with the care of pregnant mothers and their young children. Methods: Relevant literatures published in English language or translated into English were searched manually and electronically in PUBMED and SCOPUS for the period between 1990 and 2016 on the subject. Keywords searched included: epidemiology of HBV infection, MTCT of HBV, and its preventive strategies including prenatal screening, antiviral agents in pregnancy, infant post exposure prophylaxis and follow-up of infected children. Results: Over 35 scholarly articles on HBV epidemiology, MTCT, and preventive measures as well as follow -up models were retrieved and analyzed. Conclusion: Universal screening of all pregnant women for HBV infection is the most effective...

No abstract

No abstract

Background:Intestinal helminthiasis is associated with malnutrition in children.Aim:The objective of this study was to determine the intensity and effect of the common intestinal helminths on the nutritional status of children in Enugu, Nigeria.Subjects and Methods:A cross-sectional study of 460 children conducted in Enugu metropolis, south-east Nigeria between August and September 2003. Their stools were analyzed at the research laboratory of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Arbovirus and Vector Research Center, Enugu. The intensity of the common intestinal helminths was determined using the standard Kato-Katz method of fresh stool samples. The classification intensity of helminthic infestation was according to the World Health Organization classification. Data were analyzed using Statistical Software for Social Sciences version 11.0 (Chicago IL, USA). P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.Results:452 of 460 children (98.3%) had normal height for age, weight for age and weight for height Z-scores. Six of the 460 children (1.3% were wasted), 1/460 stunted (0.2%) and 1/460 wasted and stunted (0.2%). 150 out of 460 (32.6%) studied were infected with helminths. There was no significant relationship between the intensity of helminth infection and the nutritional status of the children.Conclusion:Although the prevalence of helminthiasis in children in Enugu was high, intensity of helminthiasis in these children was mainly mild. Hence, majority of them had normal weight and height measurements for age and sex.

No abstract