Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Compliance to Standard Safety Precautions among Scavengers in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background.Scavengers, due to the nature of their work, are at risk of various occupational hazards while sorting for materials for recycling and sale. They are exposed to blood borne infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from injuries from sharps and contact with discarded materials due to non-compliance with standard precautions.Objective.The present study assessed the prevalence of HBV and compliance with safety precautions among scavengers in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria.Methods.A cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 scavengers (comprised of scavengers dealing with biomedical wastes and those that were not) using structured questionnaires during the first stage of the study and a second testing stage. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0 for descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of significance.Results.The prevalence of HBV infection among the scavengers was found to be 17.4%, indicating that scavengers are at high risk of HBV infection. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of HBV among scavengers that handled biomedical wastes and those that did not. The majority of the scavengers (74.2%) did not have knowledge of or use standard precautions such as personal protective equipment (PPE). The level of injuries was considerably high and the treatment of injuries among scavengers illustrated their lack of awareness of the hazards involved in their occupations, as the majority of respondents (51.3%) engaged in self-treatment of occupational injuries.Conclusions.The probable pathway for virus transmission was waste handling, especially biomedical waste, which is mostly handled with bare hands without standard safety precautions. Vaccination against HBV, proper personal hygiene practices, regular training in occupational safety, monitoring by regulatory agencies and inclusion of scavengers in a mandatory health insurance scheme are recommended to control the risk of HBV infection among scavengers.Informed Consent. ObtainedEthical Approval:This study was approved by the Kwara State Ministry of Health Ethical Review Committee. Permission was also granted by the scrap dealers association through the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency that oversees issues relating to the environment and public health in the state.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Incidence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses Among the Scavengers in Kwara State, Nigeria

“…Kwara south followed with seven (7) hepatitis B positive incidences and Kwara north has the least cases of hepatitis B positivity with six (6) cases. This is in agreement with the work of Yusuf et al [36] which also shows a high hepatitis B positivity among scavengers in Ilorin metropolis. Also, the result corroborates Sawyerr et al [2] in their findings that revealed higher incidence of hepatitis B virus among wastes scavengers in comparison with the municipal street sweepers.…”

Assessment of Health and Safety Risk Among Waste Scavengers in Enugu State, Nigeria

“…None of them used rubber boots while working at the dumpsites. There is similarity between findings in this study and findings by Yusuf et al [18] who made the following findings that majority of the scavengers did not have knowledge of personal protective equipment and did not use the necessary standard precautions necessary to prevent the occurrence of health problems while working. Conversely, Gebremedhin et al [10] reported high level of practice of safety precaution, most of the respondents adhered to the various safety precautions as well as use required personal protective equipment including rubber boots, mouth and nose masks, protective gloves amongst others.…”

“…Only few of the participants in that study used protective gloves and booths (Awopetu et al, 2014). Another study conducted by [18] among dumpsite waste managers and scavengers in Lagos, Nigeria reported a similar finding that (4.0%) of the respondents used aprons and nose covers indicating poor practice of safety measures. However, none of them used protective gloves nor rubber boots.…”

Hepatitis B prevalence in Brazilian waste pickers: a systematic review with meta-analysis

“…Studies conducted in Nigeria 22 , Pakistan 23 and Central Greece 24 showed HBV prevalence rates in waste pickers of 17.4%, 18.8% and 23.0%, respectively. Regarding the potential causes of hepatitis B infection in waste pickers, the papers suggested: handling waste with bare hands and feet; inadequate and precarious waste disposal system; poor vaccination status; handling of piercing-cutting instruments (biomedical waste); no use of personal protective equipment; health insurance; unavailability of health education material.…”