Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi.
<h4>Background</h4>Hepatitis B is becoming a growing public health problem in Kenya. To combat the threat, HBV vaccination should be recommended, particularly for individuals who are not covered by the national immunization program. Vaccination provides sero-protection rates approaching...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281256 |
| _version_ | 1811168440191287296 |
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| author | Benard Langat Edward K Muge Doris Night Fredrick Okoth Kevin O Ochwedo Elijah M Songok |
| author_facet | Benard Langat Edward K Muge Doris Night Fredrick Okoth Kevin O Ochwedo Elijah M Songok |
| author_sort | Benard Langat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Hepatitis B is becoming a growing public health problem in Kenya. To combat the threat, HBV vaccination should be recommended, particularly for individuals who are not covered by the national immunization program. Vaccination provides sero-protection rates approaching 95% among healthy adults after completing the three-dose vaccination course, but decreases to 87% among those who receive only two doses, emphasizing the importance of completing the three-dose vaccination course. However, data on adult adherence to HBV multi-dose vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa are limited, despite the fact that this information is critical for prevention. As a result, more research on HBV vaccine dose completion is required. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among out-patient clinic attendees in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as to identify beneficiaries of free vaccination and barriers to completing the recommended vaccine doses.<h4>Methods</h4>Between July 30th and September 30th, 2015, 2644 outpatient clinic attendees aged ≥ 4 were recruited from three hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya: Mama Lucy, Riruta, and Loco. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic information, and blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using the KEMRI HEPCELL Rapid® (Hepatitis B Detection kit) test kit. Individuals who tested negative for HBsAg were given a free course of three doses of HBV vaccine. The vaccination register provided information on the number of doses administered.<h4>Results</h4>The average age of the study population was 31.4 years (range: 4-66), with females accounting for 59.2%. 1.82% (48/2644) of the participants tested positive for HBsAg. Among the 2596 individuals eligible for vaccination, 66% (1720/2596) received at least one dose, and 51.8% (1345/2596) received all three doses. Vaccination acceptance increased with age, with older patients more likely to return for subsequent dose (OR>1 for second and third dose). Unavailability and failure to contact client were cited as significant (p<0.0001) barrier to vaccination completion by 53.7% (666/1226, 95% CI 0.5-0.6) and 37% (454/1226, 95% CI 0.3-0.4) of respondents respectively.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The prevalence of HBV infection among outpatient clinic attendees highlights the importance of expanding HBV immunization programs in Kenya. However, given the low vaccination completion rate, there is a need for public awareness of the vaccine's importance in preventing HBV and HBV-related complications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:26:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa6433266ad547cf8248d6f483737f6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:26:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa6433266ad547cf8248d6f483737f6c2023-02-09T05:32:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01182e028125610.1371/journal.pone.0281256Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi.Benard LangatEdward K MugeDoris NightFredrick OkothKevin O OchwedoElijah M Songok<h4>Background</h4>Hepatitis B is becoming a growing public health problem in Kenya. To combat the threat, HBV vaccination should be recommended, particularly for individuals who are not covered by the national immunization program. Vaccination provides sero-protection rates approaching 95% among healthy adults after completing the three-dose vaccination course, but decreases to 87% among those who receive only two doses, emphasizing the importance of completing the three-dose vaccination course. However, data on adult adherence to HBV multi-dose vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa are limited, despite the fact that this information is critical for prevention. As a result, more research on HBV vaccine dose completion is required. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among out-patient clinic attendees in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as to identify beneficiaries of free vaccination and barriers to completing the recommended vaccine doses.<h4>Methods</h4>Between July 30th and September 30th, 2015, 2644 outpatient clinic attendees aged ≥ 4 were recruited from three hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya: Mama Lucy, Riruta, and Loco. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic information, and blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using the KEMRI HEPCELL Rapid® (Hepatitis B Detection kit) test kit. Individuals who tested negative for HBsAg were given a free course of three doses of HBV vaccine. The vaccination register provided information on the number of doses administered.<h4>Results</h4>The average age of the study population was 31.4 years (range: 4-66), with females accounting for 59.2%. 1.82% (48/2644) of the participants tested positive for HBsAg. Among the 2596 individuals eligible for vaccination, 66% (1720/2596) received at least one dose, and 51.8% (1345/2596) received all three doses. Vaccination acceptance increased with age, with older patients more likely to return for subsequent dose (OR>1 for second and third dose). Unavailability and failure to contact client were cited as significant (p<0.0001) barrier to vaccination completion by 53.7% (666/1226, 95% CI 0.5-0.6) and 37% (454/1226, 95% CI 0.3-0.4) of respondents respectively.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The prevalence of HBV infection among outpatient clinic attendees highlights the importance of expanding HBV immunization programs in Kenya. However, given the low vaccination completion rate, there is a need for public awareness of the vaccine's importance in preventing HBV and HBV-related complications.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281256 |
| spellingShingle | Benard Langat Edward K Muge Doris Night Fredrick Okoth Kevin O Ochwedo Elijah M Songok Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. PLoS ONE |
| title | Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. |
| title_full | Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. |
| title_fullStr | Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. |
| title_short | Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi. |
| title_sort | sero prevalence of hepatitis b virus and compliance with hepatitis b vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in nairobi |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281256 |
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