Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV among Children 6 to 59 Months in the Community in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV among children 6 to 59 months and determine the risk factors. Materials and Methods: Descriptive and analytical study on children aged 6 to 59 months of community Maniema (DRC) conducted between 24 June and 24 July 2013. We enrolled 781 children aged 6 to 59 months. For association between the presence of viral markers and potential risk factors the chi-square test of Pearson was applied, the odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. The Fisher exact test was used when the conditions for application of the chi-square test of Pearson were not met. Results: The median age of the children was 34 months, 51% of female children. Ten percent of children had a history of blood transfusion; 6.6% and 64% had fever and anemia. The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.6%, the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C was 2.8% and HIV was 3.7%. The risk factors were HBsAg, male gender (5.5% male vs 2.0 % female; OR = 2.8(1.3 -6.9) p = 0.001) and urban areas (5.0% rural vs 0.5% urban, OR = 0.1 (0.01 -0.72), p = 0.01). For HCV and HIV, these factors were the history of blood transfusion in the child and the mother. For HCV 7.6% of children with blood transfusion history; OR = 3.2 (1.1 -8.5); p = 0.05 and 11.1% history's mother blood transfusion, OR = 5.6 (2.1 -14.1). For HIV 11.4% of children with blood transfusion history, OR = 3.8, p = 0.005 and 9.8% history's mother blood transfusion, OR = 2.9, p = 0.04. Conclusion: Vaccination against hepatitis B in children must be widespread, educational messages to the population must target the risk factors for these viruses. A screening of hepatitis in pregnant women must be J. M. Kabinda et al. 172coupled with rigorous selection policy for blood donors before each donation and qualification of any unit of blood.

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C viral co-infection and associated factors with HIV infection in children in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…was found among transfused children in Kinshasa and 2.8% in a community study in Maniema (14,16). Unfortunately, to our knowledge, there are no comparative studies on HIV + patients in the DRC.…”

“…The high prevalence of HBV in our children could be explained by the sharing of transmission ways with HIV but also by the fact that vaccination coverage is not yet optimal in all parts of the DRC (10,14,15,18,19). As for naive children, systematic vaccination remains the single most effective preventive factor in addition to systematic screening of the two viruses in pregnant women and administration of the rst dose of the anti-HBV vaccine at birth.…”

“…Our data also seem to show a signi cantly higher seroprevalence than those previously found in other subgroups of children, including 0% in polytransfused children but 1.96% was found in HIV children in the city of Kinshasa in the Western part of the DRC (15,16,17). A community study carried out in the center of the country (Province of Maniema) noted a seroprevalence of 3.6% among children aged from 0 to 59 months (14).…”

“…A prevalence of 13.5% was used based on the work by Kitetele et al( 13) -P 1 is the proportion of hepatitis B in children. A prevalence of 3.6% was found by Kabinda et al (14) -P is the arithmetic average of these two previous proportions : 1/2 (P 0 + P 1 ) -The calculated minimal sample size per group was 167 children but in order to increase the power of the statistical test, it was increased to 297.…”

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C viral co-infection and associated factors with HIV infection in children in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

“… P 1 is the proportion of hepatitis B in children. A prevalence of 3.6% was found by Kabinda et al [ 20 ] P is the arithmetic average of these two previous proportions : 1/2 (P 0 + P 1 ). …”