Prevalence of hepatitis B and C viral co-infection and associated factors with HIV infection in children in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Abstract BACKGROUND Achieving the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2030 goal of eradicating Hepatitis B and C viruses must also include HIV co-infected children. However, data on the prevalence of this condition are lacking in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is considered as one of the high-prevalence countries for these viruses. The need to assess the extent of this co-infection in these children is hence important in order to capitalize on efforts to improve prevention and management. METHODOLOGY This was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted from February 04, 2015 to September 03, 2019 in a group of Reference General Hospitals with a pediatric HIV management program in South Kivu province. The study compared the frequency of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) markers and associated factors for these two viruses in two equal groups : HIV-positive and HIV-negative children. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software and the significance level was set at p-value less than 0.05. RESULTS The study enrolled a total of 594 children, of whom 297 were HIV-positive and 297 negative. HBsAg was found in 8.7% of HIV-positive patients and 0.7% for HCV antibodies. On the other hand, among HIV-negative patients, the proportion of HBsAg was 0.7% but no cases with anti-HCV antibodies were detected. HIV status increases by 14 times the risk of co-occurring of HBV [OR 14.1 (95% CI: 3.33–60.2); p < 0.001] and this risk is not apparent for HCV (p = 0.297). The fact that the presence of jaundice in the family environment of the patient appears to be associated with HIV status (p = 0.028) strongly suggests that the family context could play an important role in this double contamination. CONCLUSION This study documents the importance of co-infection with HBV and HCV in HIV-positive children in South Kivu. Particular attention should be paid to prevention and early detection of these co-infections in this population.

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