Comparative Study of Knowledge, Risk factors, and Prevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection Among Donkey Butchers and Herders in Ebonyi state, Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: The study compares the knowledge, risk factors, and prevalence of HBV infection among donkey butchers and herders in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Donkey butchers and herders comprise a high-risk population that can be controlled to minimize transmission of hepatitis B virus infection with its socioeconomic losses.Subjects, Materials, & Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional study among donkey butchers and herders in selected abattoirs in Ebonyi State. A systematic sampling method was used to select 125 respondents in each donkey handling group from 3 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents on knowledge and risk factors. Prevalence of HBV was measured by serological screening tests of respondents’ blood for identification of HBV surface antigen. Data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS Statistics version 26.0. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results: There were poor grades of HBV knowledge among the two donkey handling groups (herders, 94.4%, and butchers, 87.2%, respectively). Risk factors for herders include cigarette smoking, drug addiction, and casual sexual intercourse, whereas only duration of stay was associated with the butchers’ handling group. The combined HBV prevalence of the donkey handling groups in Ebonyi State was 11.6%, donkey butchers 8.0%, and herders 15.2%. Conclusions: The study showed poor knowledge grades among the donkey butchers and herders. Some risk factors were associated and predictors of HBV transmissions. The high HBV prevalence among the donkey handling groups has apparent public health implications.