Abstract:

Background: Viral hepatitis during pregnancy is significantly associated with high risk of maternal complications and adversely affect the foetal development in some cases leading to foetal death. Hepatitis is a public health concern worldwide. It is estimated that 3% of world’s population is chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HVC), whereby the burden occur mostly in resource limited countries. Although direct percutaneous inoculation is the most efficient mode of transmission of HCV, other transmission routes such as vertical transmission has been also documented. In Tanzania there is limited information regarding the burden of HCV among pregnant women population.

Objectives: The study aimed at determining seroprevalence and associated factors of HCV among pregnant women seeking antenatal care at Makole health centre in Dodoma, Tanzania.

Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study enrolling 300 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic was conducted at Makole health centre from May 2019 to June 2019. Data including socio-demographic data were collected using pre-tested structured questionnaire. Blood was collected and plasma were qualitatively screened for anti-HCV antibodies using a rapid immunochromatographic test. Data analysis was done using STATA version 13 as per study objectives.

Results: The mean age of the enrolled women was 26.27±6.03 years and mean gestation age was 22.05±8.33 weeks. Among 300 pregnant women screened for HCV antibodies, only 1 (0.3%) was found to be seropositive for HCV antibodies. Factors associated with HCV seropositivity could not to be seropositive for HCV antibodies. Factors associated with HCV seropositivity could not be established since one woman was seropositive for HCV.

Conclusion and recommendation: The results is this study suggest that HCV is not common among pregnant women in Dodoma. There is a need for emphasizing the current control measures across the country and other endemic areas.