Prevalence and Potential Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Virus in a Sample of Children in two Selected Areas in Yemen
The global epidemic of hepatitis B is a significant public health problem. The endemicity of HBV infection used to be believed high in Yemen. Data for prevalence of HBsAg among children in rural and urban areas in Yemen is scarce and incompetent. The study was made to determine the prevalence of HB surface antigen among children in 2 selected areas in Yemen. Eight hundred ad forty and 212 children were randomly selected from Sana’a city and Shabowah governorate respectively. Sera were tested for HBs antigen by ELISA technique and HB genome was tested for positive HB surface antigen specimens to confirm positivity using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) -based test. Each individual’s data was collected in a pre-designed questionnaire including: sex, age and risk factors of HBV and prior vaccine of HBV.
