Epidemiological aspects and molecular characterization of the hepatitis B virus among blood donors in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Kabamba, Arsène Tshikongo; Kalunga, B.T.; Mwamba, Claude; Nyembo, Christophe; Dufrasne, François E.; Dessilly, Géraldine; Kabamba, Benoît; Longanga, Albert Otshudi

doi:10.1016/j.tracli.2020.10.012

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The situation described concerning HBsAg seropositivity among blood donors at the Gabonese NBTC would rather indicate a positive impact of measures to control this infection in the general population and not the effectiveness of the conventional blood safety strategy. This rate was also reported in other African countries [15,16,17,18]. "We found that HBV, HCV, Syphilis and coinfection are not common in Gabon.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Hepatitis B Virus and Behavioural Risk among Blood Donors, Gabon

Maulot-Bangola

Christian²,

Olivier³

et al. 2022

IBRR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: In resource- limited setting, co-infection between HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) poses important public health considerations. This cross-sectional study was undertaken with the aim of determining HBV seroprevalence patterns in urban blood banks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at an urban blood bank setting. A total of 1610 blood donors were enrolled, and 283 consecutive plasma samples with unknown HBsAg status were selected for risks factors. HBV seroprevalence was based on the Chemiluminescence method (Cobas® e601, Roche). Potential risk factors associated with overt HBV infection were assessed by calculating the crude and adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence intervalley (95% CI) and p values. Results: Of 1610 participants, overall rate seroprevalence of HBsAg was 5.5% (95% CI: 4.36%–6.58%) ranging from 0.06% (95% CI: 0-0.18) (HCV) to 0.12% (95% CI: 0-0.30) (Syphilis). Seroprevalence of infection increased in older age groups (20-39 years) but men had a statistically significant higher prevalence of overt HBV infection than women (P=0.0001). The multivariate model showed the following to be predictors of HBV infection: male gender (OR=2.5 (95% CI 1.14-5.58), P= 0.02), first-time donor status (OR = 11.06, (95% CI 5.34-22.9), P= 0.01) and residence outside of Libreville (OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.09-5.83), P=0.03). Conclusion: HB and co-infection are n o t common in Gabon. Intermediate seroprevalence was associated with male gender, first-time donor status and residence outside of Libreville. HCV and HBV infection among the younger age groups are becoming an alarming issue. Prevention and control of HBV infection are needed to reduce HBV transmission.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Hepatitis B Virus and Behavioural Risk among Blood Donors, Gabon

Maulot-Bangola

Christian²,

Olivier³

et al. 2022

IBRR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Malaria is known to dampen immunologic responses to polysaccharide and possibly protein-based vaccines, (25) and frequent malaria infections, common in high-prevalence areas like the DRC, result in a higher frequency of blood transfusions, a known risk factor for HBV infection. (26)(27)(28) Tetanus antibody results are available publicly through the DHS Program and were produced using an ELISA-based assay. (29) We described the distribution of the overall population according to each potential correlate of interest and estimated HBsAg-positivity prevalence and Wald-type 95% confidence intervals (CI) within strata of each.…”

Section: Hbsag Prevalence and Correlates Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing hepatitis B virus infection in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo to inform elimination efforts

Morgan,

Powers,

Edwards

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveDespite global reductions in hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence, an estimated 6.2 million children are infected, two-thirds of whom live in the WHO Africa region. We sought to characterize childhood HBV to inform elimination efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the largest and most populous African countries.MethodsUsing the most recent (2013–14) nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey in the DRC, we analyzed HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) on dried blood spots and associated survey data from children aged 6-59 months. We estimated HBsAg-positivity prevalence nationally, regionally, and by potential correlates of infection. We evaluated spatial variation in HBsAg-positivity prevalence, overall and by age, sex, and vaccination status.FindingsUsing data from 5,679 children, we found national HBsAg-positivity prevalence was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.9%-1.7%), but ranged from 0.0% in DRC’s capital city province, Kinshasa, to 5.6% in northwestern Sud-Ubangi Province. Prevalence among boys (1.8%, 95% CI: 1.2%-2.7%) was double that among girls (0.7%, 95%CI: 0.4%-1.3%). Tetanus antibody-negativity, rurality, and lower household wealth were also significantly associated with higher HBsAg-positivity prevalence. We observed no difference in prevalence by age. Children had higher HBsAg-positivity odds if living with ≥1 HBsAg-positive adult household member (OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 0.7-7.8), particularly an HBsAg-positive mother (OR: 7.2, 95%CI:1.6-32.2).ConclusionIn the largest national survey of HBV among children and household contacts in the DRC, we found that childhood HBV prevalence was 10-60 times the global target of 0.1%. We highlight specific regions and populations for further investigation and focused prevention efforts.

show abstract

“…The Global Hepatitis Health Sector goals of HBV and HCV elimination require knowledge of the regional prevalence and epidemiology of both viruses to implement strategies to mitigate risk factors and reduce transmission. The use of RDTs has been used in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo to characterize the prevalence of HBsAg positivity in blood donors (7.9%), thus highlighting the need to improve transfusion safety (126). Furthermore, RDTs were used to determine the epidemiology and prevalence of anti-HCV positivity in adult clinic patients (1.6%) in Accra, Ghana, providing an understanding of the primary risk association (history of sexually transmitted infections) and reduced prevalence in older individuals (127).…”

Section: Future Directions For Rdts: Toward Viral Hepatitis Eliminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Diagnostics for Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Shenge¹,

Osiowy

2021

Front.Virol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The global health challenge posed by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) persists, especially in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), where underdiagnosis of these viral infections remains a barrier to the elimination target of 2030. HBV and HCV infections are responsible for most liver-related mortality worldwide. Infected individuals are often unaware of their condition and as a result, continue to transmit these viruses. Although conventional diagnostic tests exist, in LMIC they are largely inaccessible due to high costs or a lack of trained personnel, resulting in poor linkage to care and increased infections. Timely and accurate diagnosis is needed to achieve elimination of hepatitis B and C by the year 2030 as set out by the World Health Organization Global Health Sector Strategy. In this review rapid diagnostic tests allowing for quick and cost-effective screening and diagnosis of HBV and HCV, are discussed, as are their features, including suitability, reliability, and applicability in LMIC, particularly those within Africa.

show abstract

Epidemiological aspects and molecular characterization of the hepatitis B virus among blood donors in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

Hepatitis B Virus and Behavioural Risk among Blood Donors, Gabon

Hepatitis B Virus and Behavioural Risk among Blood Donors, Gabon

Characterizing hepatitis B virus infection in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo to inform elimination efforts

Rapid Diagnostics for Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About