Lem Edith Abongwa¹*, Forwang Lisette Nkengbeza¹, Clauvis Yengo², Signang Alberic³ and Mabeyonga Berenice Fokong¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, N. W. Region, Cameroon
²Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon
³Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, BMP 41 via Bamenda, Cameroon

*Corresponding Author: Lem Edith Abongwa, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, N. W. Region, Cameroon.

Received: June 04, 2021; Published: july 06, 2021

Abstract

Background/Aims: Immunosuppression caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) alters the pathogenesis of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection thereby increasing HBV prevalence. Globally, HIV and HBV remain major public health concerns. Immunization is an effective method of preventing childhood infection. This cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the pentavalent vaccine in the prevention of HBV transmission in HIV-positive children.

Methods: Children who gave their assent with the consent of their parents/guardians were recruited into the study. Socio-demographic information was collected using a close-ended questionnaire. Serum samples were used to test for serological markers of HBV. One hundred and fifty-six children were enrolled between March and July 2020. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 23.0.

Results: The age range of the participants were 0.8 months to 15 years with a mean ± standard deviation of 9.6 ± 3.8 years. The prevalence of HBV among the study participants was 2 (1.3%), and it was insignificantly (p = 0.25) higher in females (2.1% vs 0.0%) compared to their male counterparts. As concerns age group, <6years recorded the lowest prevalence 0 (0.0%) and this was insignificant (P = 0.88). HBV prevalence was highly significant (p = 0.001) among children whose parents/guardians were positive 2 (15.4%) for HBV

Conclusion: The use of the pentavalent vaccine is effective in preventing HBV and all babies born to HBV-positive pregnant women should be followed up to ensure that they receive the monovalent vaccine at birth and 4 weeks after birth alongside all the required vaccines. .

Keywords: Children; HBV; HIV; Pentavalent Vaccine

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Citation

Citation: Lem Edith Abongwa., et al. “Hepatitis B Sero-Conversion Rates among HIV Positive Children Immunized with Pentavalent Vaccine in Bamenda Health District, Cameroon”. Acta Scientific Gastrointestinal Disorders 4.8 (2021): 05-10.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Lem Edith Abongwa., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.