The burden of hepatitis c virus infection and access to treatment among rural dwellers in a north central Nigeria

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus infection is a public health disease but the efforts to control it have not fully integrated indigent rural dwellers. This study explores the burden of the disease in Jengre, a rural population in Nigeria. It is a mixed retrospective and qualitative study. Data on 1,339 persons who received HCV testing in Jengre SDA Hospital (over a one year period) was collated and analyzed. All 7 healthcare providers in the hospital were recruited into a focused group discussion on hepatitis C treatment and their experiences in the hospital. A prevalence of 18.4% was obtained and 11.7% among apparently healthy individuals. The prevalence of hepatitis C in this study is among the highest in the world and there is a total absence of treatment available to those who are infected. This leaves the patients helpless and portends a grave danger to the realization of international hepatitis C elimination goals.

Keywords: Hepatitis, Nigeria, epidemiology, prevalence, HCV