PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF HEPATITIS C INFECTION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN ILORIN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) poses a significant risk to the well-being of pregnant women and their offspring with about 1.5 million new infections occurring annually. The data on the prevalence and associated risk factors among pregnant women in Nigeria remains limited. This study therefore aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of hepatitis C infection among pregnant women in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study enrolled 180 eligible pregnant women who visited and received antenatal care at Cottage and Civil Service Hospitals in Ilorin, Nigeria between November 2021 and January 2022. Demographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire while the antibody screening was via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 26 at p<0.05 significant level. Of the 180 pregnant women, 8 (4.4%) were positive for HCV. The highest proportion of HCV positivity was recorded among women aged 20-30 years (75%), those with tertiary education (100%), Civil Servants (100%), married women (100%), and those in the second trimester gestational age (100%). Furthermore, 87.5% of HCV-positive patients had a history of blood transfusion and 62.5% reported scarification. However, no significant statistical association was recorded between demographic characteristics, risk factors, and HCV seropositivity (p ˃ 0.05). Although the prevalence of active HCV infection among pregnant women in Ilorin was low, the outcome underscores the importance of routine screening of pregnant women for HCV to prevent maternal and neonatal complications in line with Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing. This warrants further research for comprehensive data on HCV prevalence among pregnant women across Nigeria.