Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in health institutions in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

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This study aimed to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant mothers in the Gedeo Zone, southern Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in governmental and private health facilities in the Gedeo zone from January to April 2019. The study participants were selected using systematic random sampling techniques. The Eugene strip test was used to determine hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant mothers. The status of HIV was collected from the records. Other variables were collected from the mothers using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Binary logistic regression was used for the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between HBsAg seropositivity and various factors. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant mothers was 9.2% in the Gedeo Zone. Previous history of blood transfusion [AOR=5.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 12.5], previous history of hospital admission [AOR=3, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.6], history of having an abortion [AOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 11.7], age of the pregnant women [AOR=5.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 18.0], and HIV status of the mother [AOR=8.1, 95% CI: 1.9, 36.0] had a statistically significant association with HBsAg seropositivity. Conclusions: Hepatitis B virus infection was found to have higher endemicity (9.2%) in the Gedeo Zone which is higher than the national pooled prevalence which was 4.75%. Early initiation of antenatal care services which incorporate the prevention and control of HBV must be implemented by the health facilities in the Gedeo Zone. Infectious Diseases Preventive Medicine Tropical Medicine Hepatitis B virus Pregnancy Sero-Prevalence Gedio Zone Ethiopia Figures Figure 1 Introduction Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus that occurs through the immune-mediated killing of infected liver cells [1]. It is a major blood-borne and sexually transmitted infectious agent and poses a serious global public health problem that is approximately 100 times more contagious than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and is found in diverse populations and subpopulations [2-3]. The transmission routs for HBV are mainly linked with parenteral or mucosal exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as secretions or saliva, unsafe sexual intercourse, and transfusion of HBV-infected blood and blood products through either by vertical or horizontal routes. The transmission of HBV in highly endemic areas mostly results in a high rate of chronic infections [4-6]. Globally, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is responsible for approximately one-half of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infections [7]. It is also associated with a high risk of maternal complications and has effects on both the mother (such as preeclampsia, placenta previa, preterm delivery, placental separation, antepartum hemorrhage, preterm labor, increased incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage, gestational diabetes mellitus) and the child (leads to fetal and neonatal hepatitis and a higher risk of developing chronic liver disease and cancer) [8-10]. Infants Born from hepatitis B positive pregnant mothers (both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)), have a higher (70–90%) risk of acquiring the infection from their mothers and they are about 10–40% at risk, if the mother tested positive for only HBsAg. In endemic areas, where carrier rates are greater than 5%, perinatal transmission is common, especially when HBV-infected mothers are also HBeAg positive [11-13]. Global­ly, 350 million people are chronic carriers. Of these, one million are expected to suffer serious illness and death from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and approximately 600,000 people die annually from acute or chronic complications of hepatitis B infection [14-16]. Africa, which is considered as a region of high endemicity (≥8%), has the second largest number of chronic carriers after Asia [16]. Although it is difficult to assess the exact burden of HBV in Africa, the Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been estimated to be in the range from 6% to 20% [17-18]. A higher prevalence of 9.7%-16.6% was observed in other developing countries [19-22], while the prevalence of HBV in Ethiopia among pregnant women has shown moderate endemicity, with the prevalence of HB­sAg positivity ranging from 2.3%-7.9% [23-29]. The pooled prevalence for HBV among pregnant mothers in Ethiopia was 4.75% [30]. Different factors, such as having a history of blood transfusion, history of use of sharp materials, having multiple sexual partners, ear pricing, history of abortion, place of delivery, the practice of female genital mutilation, history of tooth extraction, cesarean section, and tattooing, were some of the major risk factors associated with HBV Ag seropositivity in previous studies in similar settings [23-34]. Since HBV-infected pregnant women are at risk of infecting their babies, knowing the magnitude of HBV status and its risk factors in the area is very important in preventing mother-to-child transmission and reducing the burden of the disease. However, in resource-constrained settings such as Ethiopia, laboratory diagnosis of HBV infection is not part of routine care in ANC of all health facilities, which makes the detection of pregnant mothers with HBV difficult, which also makes the intervention very difficult [35]. Observational community studies of serological markers of HBV infection have an important role in identifying population endemicity and possible routes of transmission that could help in the development of appropriate control measures. Therefore, this study intends to fill the limited information gap re­garding the prevalence and associated factors of HBV among pregnant women in the southern part of Ethiopia specifically in the Gedeo Zone. Methods Design and study sites This study was an institutional-based cross-sectional study conducted in selected health facilities in Gedeo Zone Southern Nations and nationalities regional state, Ethiopia. The Zone has 1 referral hospital, 3 primary hospitals (Bule, Gedeb and Yerga Chefe), 38 health centers, 146 health posts, 4 NGO clinics, and 17 reported private health facilities. Sample size determination and procedure The sample size was determined using a single population proportion formula. The sample size was calculated based on the following assumptions: 95% confidence interval (CI), hepatitis B virus prevalence rate 3.5% [29], degree of precision of 1.75%, and nonresponse rate of 10%. Finally, the calculated sample size was 479. Out of 42 the public health facilities found in Gedeo Zone, one referral hospital, eleven health centers and 1 primary hospital are selected using lottery method and from 17 private clinic only 5 were giving ANC service at the time of the study and from these 5 private clinic 2 was privet clinics were included in the study using lottery method. Then the total sample size allocated for each facilities proportional to their population size. A list of pregnant mothers from ANC registration in the selected health facilities was used as a sampling frame. Finally the study subjects attending ANC clinic at the time of data collection were selected using systematic random sampling technique as indicated in (Figure 1). Data collection Data was collected from January to March in 2019. Socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, residence, employment status, level of education, and marital status, were collected using a structured questionnaire administered by trained health professionals. The status of HIV of the pregnant women was collected from the records and HBV infection status was determined using the Eugene strip test. Laboratory analysis 3 ml of venous blood drawn under aseptic conditions has transferred to an EDTA (Ethylene diamninetetra acetic acid) tube by trained laboratory personnel. These tubes were labelled and processed at the time of collection. The blood samples taken from the participants was centrifuged at 3000 revolution per minute (RPM) for at least 10 minutes at room temperature. Each serum sample was subjected to the HBsAg antibody rapid test using the test kit (Manufacturer: Shangai Eugene Biotech Co., Ltd. Shangai. China. Email: [email protected] .). Data quality assurance To ensure the quality of data, the questionnaire was prepared in the English language, translated to Amharic and Gedeofa, and translated back to English by another person who can speak all three languages. Furthermore, the questionnaire was pretested, and field editing was performed to ensure the completeness and correctness of the data. A pretest was conducted on 5% of the total sample size in Bule Primary Hospital, which was not included in this study. The collected data were checked daily for consistency and accuracy. Standardized procedures were strictly followed during blood sample collection and storage. Known positive and negative samples were run to control the quality of the HBsAg kit as external quality assurance. Data processing and analysis Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between explanatory variables and the outcome variable using odds ratios at 95% CIs. Predictor variables with a P-value <0.25 in the bivariate analysis were candidates for the multivariable logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between HBsAg seropositivity and various factors. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to check the overall model fitness. Results Socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics A total of 479 mothers have participated in this study with a mean age 25.9 (SD ±5.01). The majority of the mothers interviewed 411 (85.8%) were married, and more than two-thirds of the respondents 185 (38.6%) had primary education. More than half of the participants (245, 51.1%) were housewives, while 265 (55.3%) of the mothers were rural residents. Age between 26 and 30 years was the dominant maternal age group with 151 (31.5%) mothers, while mothers older than 35 were only 23 (4.8%). Regarding the obstetric history of the mothers, 121 (25.3%) had no previous birth history, while the remaining 358 (74.7%) reported that they had multiple pregnancies. Out of 479 pregnant women, 99 (20.7%) were in the first trimester, 245 (50.5%) were in the second trimester, and the rest were in the third trimester. It was assessed that 32 (6.7%) of pregnant women had a history of abortion in the past. Among 479 respondents, 103 mothers had a history of home delivery (21.5%), and 255 mothers had a history of institutional delivery (52.2%). Prevalence of hepatitis B virus among ANCs following pregnancy The prevalence of HBV among pregnant mothers who were on ANC follow-up in the Gedeo Zone was 9.2% during the study period. Bivariate and Multivariable Analysis During the bivariate analysis, a history of blood transfusion, previous history of hospital admission, previous history of abortion, gestational age, previous place of birth, age of the pregnant women, and HIV status of the pregnant women was significantly associated with HBV status of the pregnant women. As indicated, candidates in Table 1 were candidates for the multivariate logistic regression analysis. In the final analysis, women with a previous history of blood transfusion, previous history of hospital admission, previous place of birth, ear-piercing practice, current gestational age, and HIV status of the pregnant women were significant factors that determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus of pregnant women in the Gedeo zone in the multivariable logistic regression. Table 1 . Bivariate and multivariable logistic analysis of HBV among pregnant women in the Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia Variable HBV COR AOR P- value Positive Negative Blood transfusion No 31 398 1 1 Yes 13 37 4.5 (2.2-9.4) 5.2 (2.1-12.5)** <0.001 Hospital Admission No 27 373 1 1 Yes 17 62 3.8(2.0-7.4)*** 3.0 (1.4-6.6)** 0.006 Body tattooing No 37 332 1 1 yes 7 103 0.6 (0.3-1.4) 0.8 (0.3-2.1) 0.719 History of ear piercing No 2 60 1 Yes 42 375 3.4 (0.8-14.2) 4.4 (0.9-21.2) 0.067 History of abortion No 37 410 1 1 Yes 7 25 3.1 (1.3-7.7) 4.1 (1.5-11.7)** 0.008 Residence Rural 29 236 0.6 (0.3-1.2) 1.6 (0.8-3.3) 0.220 Urban 15 199 1 1 Gestational age First trimester 15 84 3.3 (1.3-8.5)* 2.7 (0.9-8.1) 0.073 Second trimester 22 220 1.9 (0.8-4.5) 2.1 (0.8-5.7) 0.151 Third trimester 7 131 1 1 Age of the pregnant women >20 16 77 2.8 (0.98-8.1) 5.1 (1.5-18.0)* 0.011 20-29 14 148 1.3 (0.4-3.7) 2.0 (0.6-6.6) 0.275 30-39 9 142 0.9 (0.3-2.7) 0.98 (0.3-3.5) 0.979 40-49 5 68 1 1 HIV status Negative 39 427 1 1 Positive 5 8 6.8 (2.1-21.9) 8.3 (1.9-36.0)** 0.005 * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 In the multivariable logistic analysis after controlling for the cofounders, previous history of blood transfusion [AOR=5.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 12.5], previous history of hospital admission [AOR=3, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.6], history of having an abortion [AOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 11.7], age of the pregnant women [AOR=5.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 18.0], and HIV status of the mother [AOR=8.1, 95% CI: 1.9, 36.0] were significant factors associated with HBV infection among pregnant women in the Gedeo Zone. Discussion Surface antigen (HBsAg) can be used as the main marker to indicate the prevalence and endemicity of HBV active infection in the general population in a particular geographical area [36]. In this study area, the overall seroprevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women was 9.2%, which could be considered as a high endemicity area (with seropositivity ≥8% seropositive), based on WHO classification criteria of endemicity of HBV infection [16]. The prevalence was the highest across the country compared to the pooled prevalence indicated by [30] recently. Previous studies in different regions of Ethiopia reported lower proportions, from the lowest prevalence (3.7%) in Jimma town to the highest (8.4%) in Dire Dawa [23-29]. However, the finding was lower than findings reported by other developing countries, with (8%) in Mali [19], (9.7%) in Cameroon [20], (10.8%) in Yemen [21], (11.8%) in Uganda [22], and (16.6%) in Nigeria [23]. The observed discrepancies in the magnitude of HBV prevalence across different geographical locations and regions might be due to variations in socio-demographic characteristics of the study population, such as socio-cultural, and tribal practices. Moreover, the variation in diagnosis methodologies, level of awareness, and the quality and access to antenatal care service provision might add to the difference. In this study, except for age of the pregnant women all the other socio-demographic variables such as marital status, residence, educational status and occupation of the pregnant women did not significantly associated with the risk of acquiring HBV infection (p> 0.05). Blood transfusion as an identified well-established risk factor for HBsAg [37], was significantly associated with seropostivity of HBsAg among Pregnant women in the Gedeo Zone. Pregnant women with a previous history of blood transfusion were five times more likely to be infected with HBV than women who had no history of blood transfusion. This result is in accordance with previous similar studies [28, 32-33]. In this study, a previous history of hospital admission was associated with HBV among pregnant women. This might be due to poor infection prevention practices among the health facilities during hospital admission and delivery. Previous hospital admissions were one of the predictors in other previous findings [34, 38]. Pregnant women with a history of abortion had four times increased risk of having HBV infection when compared with those who without previous history abortion practice. These could be justified by either the abortion was the result of unsafe sexual encounter which is considered as the predominant mode of transmission path way for Hepatitis B infection among pregnant women or the poor quality of the abortion practices might be the reason for the exposure. This finding was in line with previous findings in different parts in Ethiopia [33, 34]. Pregnant women with age less than 20 were more at risk of having unsafe sexual encounters than the other age groups. This could be one prominent reason why history of abortion and being in the age under 20 has similar effect on pregnant mothers’ seropostivity for HBsAg. This was similar to the finding reported by [41], where the proportion of HBV infection was significantly higher in the age group 15–17 years old and [34], <25 year old pregnant women. The HIV status of the pregnant women was another determinant of HBV infection in this study as in findings in other studies [21, 28, 32, and 38]. Since Ethiopia is categorized as a country with a high HIV burden [39] and in a region with a high HBV endemic area [40], the possibility of HBV/HIV co-infection is a more anticipated precedent. Moreover, it was reported that the co-infection of HIV/HBV could greatly facilitate HBV replication and reactivation, leading to higher HBV-DNA levels and reduced spontaneous clearance of the virus [40]. Conclusions A higher prevalence (9.2%) of HBV infection was detected in the study area which is higher than the national pooled prevalence which was 4.75%. This study illustrated that the seroprevalence of HBV infection has significant association with having a history of blood transfusion, hospital admission, HIV positive status, having history of abortion and pregnant women’s age in Gedeo zone southern Ethiopia. To reduce the seroprevalence of HBV infection in the Gedeo Zone, health education on the risk of HIV, abortion and unsafe sex at early age and safety issues during admission to hospitals is needed at the Zonal level and health facility level. The screening of all pregnant women for hepatitis B virus must be integrated in the routine antenatal care services. Declarations Data Availability The data sets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Disclosure The funding body had no role in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and in writing the manuscript of this study. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise. Authors’ Contributions Mhiret Belay Tadiwos : conceptualization, investigation, Project administration, methodology, Formal analysis, analysis, writing original draft. Girum Gebremeskel Kanno : methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review & editing, manuscript preparation. Abereham Shiferaw Areba : methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review & editing, manuscript preparation. Mekonnen Birhanie Aregu : methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review & editing, manuscript preparation. Robel Hussen Kabtyemer: methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review & editing, manuscript preparation. Zeleke Girma Abate: methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review & editing, manuscript preparation. Acknowledgment We would like to forward our deepest gratitude to Dilla University College of Health Sciences and Medicine and NORHED/SENUPH project for their financial support to conduct this research. Ethical Approval Ethical approval of this study was approved after review by the “Dilla University Institutional Research and Ethical Review Board”, and the research was carried out only after an ethical letter was obtained with Protocol Unique number 009/19-01 . A consent form was provided to all participants, and the purpose and importance of the study were explained to each study participant. To ensure the confidentiality of the participant’s information, codes were used instead of the names of the participant. Participants were interviewed alone to maintain privacy. All participants did not pay for the test. Voluntary participation was clearly explained to all the participants that they could choose to participate in before the study. References World Health Organization. Guidelines for the prevention, care, and treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis b infection. Geneva; 2015. http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/ hepatitis/en/. World Health Organization. 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BMC Public Health. 2016; 16:996 DOI 10.1186/s12889-016-3658-9 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Feb, 2021 Read the published version in → Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-80793","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":2532582,"identity":"29742a65-630f-4363-8aa2-97865316e950","order_by":0,"name":"Mhiret Belay Tadiwos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"South Omo Zone Department of Health, Sothern Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mhiret","middleName":"Belay","lastName":"Tadiwos","suffix":""},{"id":2532583,"identity":"77010094-1568-4b7b-ab89-44f69b8a5bcf","order_by":1,"name":"Girum Gebremeskel Kanno","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZigtwcDceOADkMHGTrwWxoaDM0BamPEpRwYgLYd5kA3BBeTdeZ9J3cyxsZdsb2w4bPNrmzwfMwPjh485uLUYHmY3k87dlpY4m+dgw+HcvtuGbcwMzJIzt+HR0szGBtRyOEFOIhGopec2I1ALGzMvYS3/7eXkHzYctuy5bU9QizwzWMsBxtkSQO8z/LidSFCLATMbs3XutuTEmT2JDQd7G24ntzEzNuP1i3z/Mcbbudvs7CWOHz744Mef27bz25sPfviIz5YDyDzGNjDZgFs9yBZU6T94FY+CUTAKRsEIBQA0YU7+pl9xHwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6689-1983","institution":"College of Health and Medical Science, School of public health, Dilla University, Ethiopia ","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Girum","middleName":"Gebremeskel","lastName":"Kanno","suffix":""},{"id":2532584,"identity":"973610b5-098f-4741-9293-a6a6b18af5a7","order_by":2,"name":"Abereham Shiferaw Areba","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Health and Medical Science, School of public health, Dilla University, Ethiopia ","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abereham","middleName":"Shiferaw","lastName":"Areba","suffix":""},{"id":2979379,"identity":"6dc24f38-03de-11eb-a014-12b504df345a","order_by":3,"name":"Robel Hussen Kabtyemer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Health and Medical Science, Department of Nutrition, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Robel","middleName":"Hussen","lastName":"Kabtyemer","suffix":""},{"id":2979447,"identity":"77312351-03de-11eb-a014-12b504df345a","order_by":4,"name":"Zeleke Girma Abate","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Health and Medical Science, School of Public Health, Dilla University, Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zeleke","middleName":"Girma","lastName":"Abate","suffix":""},{"id":2532585,"identity":"fe76e696-6890-4adc-b427-3128cc37cb21","order_by":5,"name":"Mekonnen Birhanie Aregu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Health and Medical Science, School of public health, Dilla University, Ethiopia ","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mekonnen","middleName":"Birhanie","lastName":"Aregu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2020-09-19 17:56:37","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"coiExplicitlySet":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132721993628","type":"published","date":"2021-02-10T13:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":2710655,"identity":"89239b1a-bd7b-4115-8e5a-bd4fed48cd74","added_by":"c3a92a59-7433-43ba-b66a-9bdfefc96f63","created_at":"2020-09-30 21:00:08","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":265033,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Procedure for selecting study participants from health institutions ","description":"","filename":"figure1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-80793/v2/figure_1.png"},{"id":13597967,"identity":"48d364d4-1289-4643-8b49-70f79277e95f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-09-17 05:34:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":670536,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-80793/v2/928ccd93-79a8-440c-9dcf-632829f59af8.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eSero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in health institutions in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eHepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus that occurs through the immune-mediated killing of infected liver cells [1]. It is a major blood-borne and sexually transmitted infectious agent and poses a serious global public health problem that is approximately 100 times more contagious than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and is found in diverse populations and subpopulations [2-3]. The transmission routs for HBV are mainly linked with parenteral or mucosal exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as secretions or saliva, unsafe sexual intercourse, and transfusion of HBV-infected blood and blood products through either by vertical or horizontal routes. The transmission of HBV in highly endemic areas mostly results in a high rate of chronic infections [4-6].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGlobally, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is responsible for approximately one-half of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infections [7]. It is also associated with a high risk of maternal complications and has effects on both the mother (such as preeclampsia, placenta previa, preterm delivery, placental separation, antepartum hemorrhage, preterm labor, increased incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage, gestational diabetes mellitus) and the child (leads to fetal and neonatal hepatitis and a higher risk of developing chronic liver disease and cancer) [8-10].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eInfants Born from hepatitis B positive pregnant mothers (both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)), have a \u0026nbsp;higher (70\u0026ndash;90%) risk of acquiring the infection from their mothers and they are about 10\u0026ndash;40% at risk, if the mother tested positive for only HBsAg. In endemic areas, where carrier rates are greater than 5%, perinatal transmission is common, especially when HBV-infected mothers are also HBeAg positive [11-13]. Global\u0026shy;ly, 350 million people are chronic carriers. Of these, one million are expected to suffer serious illness and death from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and approximately 600,000 people die annually from acute or chronic complications of hepatitis B infection [14-16].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfrica, which is considered as a region of high endemicity (\u0026ge;8%), has the second largest number of chronic carriers after Asia [16]. Although it is difficult to assess the exact burden of HBV in Africa, the Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been estimated to be in the range from 6% to 20% [17-18]. A higher prevalence of 9.7%-16.6% was observed in other developing countries [19-22], while the prevalence of HBV in Ethiopia among pregnant women has shown moderate endemicity, with the prevalence of HB\u0026shy;sAg positivity ranging from 2.3%-7.9% [23-29]. The pooled prevalence for HBV among pregnant mothers in Ethiopia was 4.75% [30]. Different factors, such as having a history of blood transfusion, history of use of sharp materials, having multiple sexual partners, ear pricing, history of abortion, place of delivery, the practice of female genital mutilation, history of tooth extraction, cesarean section, and tattooing, were some of the major risk factors associated with HBV Ag seropositivity in previous studies in similar settings [23-34].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSince HBV-infected pregnant women are at risk of infecting their babies, knowing the magnitude of HBV status and its risk factors in the area is very important in preventing mother-to-child transmission and reducing the burden of the disease. However, in resource-constrained settings such as Ethiopia, laboratory diagnosis of HBV infection is not part of routine care in ANC of all health facilities, which makes the detection of pregnant mothers with HBV difficult, which also makes the intervention very difficult [35]. Observational community studies of serological markers of HBV infection have an important role in identifying population endemicity and possible routes of transmission that could help in the development of appropriate control measures. Therefore, this study intends to fill the limited information gap re\u0026shy;garding the prevalence and associated factors of HBV among pregnant women in the southern part of Ethiopia specifically in the Gedeo Zone.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesign and study sites\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was an institutional-based cross-sectional study conducted in selected health facilities in Gedeo Zone Southern Nations and nationalities regional state, Ethiopia. The Zone has 1 referral hospital, 3 primary hospitals (Bule, Gedeb and Yerga Chefe), 38 health centers, 146 health posts, 4 NGO clinics, and 17 reported private health facilities.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample size determination and procedure\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe sample size was determined using a single population proportion formula. The sample size was calculated based on the following assumptions: 95% confidence interval (CI), hepatitis B virus prevalence rate 3.5% [29], degree of precision of 1.75%, and nonresponse rate of 10%. Finally, the calculated sample size was 479. Out of 42 the public health facilities found in Gedeo Zone, one referral hospital, eleven health centers and 1 primary hospital are selected using lottery method and from 17 private clinic only 5 were giving ANC service at the time of the study and from these 5 private clinic 2 was privet clinics were included in the study using lottery method. Then the total sample size allocated for each facilities proportional to their population size. A list of pregnant mothers from ANC registration in the selected health facilities was used as a sampling frame. Finally the study subjects attending ANC clinic at the time of data collection were selected using systematic random sampling technique as indicated in (Figure 1).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData collection\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eData was collected from January to March in 2019. Socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, residence, employment status, level of education, and marital status, were collected using a structured questionnaire administered by trained health professionals. The status of HIV of the pregnant women was collected from the records and HBV infection status was determined using the Eugene strip test.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLaboratory analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3 ml of venous blood drawn under aseptic conditions has transferred to an EDTA (Ethylene diamninetetra acetic acid) tube by trained laboratory personnel. These tubes were labelled and processed at the time of collection. The blood samples taken from the participants was centrifuged at 3000 revolution per minute (RPM) for at least 10 minutes at room temperature. Each serum sample was subjected to the HBsAg antibody rapid test using the test kit (Manufacturer: Shangai Eugene Biotech Co., Ltd. Shangai. China. Email: [email protected].).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData quality assurance\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo ensure the quality of data, the questionnaire was prepared in the English language, translated to Amharic and Gedeofa, and translated back to English by another person who can speak all three languages. Furthermore, the questionnaire was pretested, and field editing was performed to ensure the completeness and correctness of the data. A pretest was conducted on 5% of the total sample size in Bule Primary Hospital, which was not included in this study. The collected data were checked daily for consistency and accuracy. Standardized procedures were strictly followed during blood sample collection and storage. Known positive and negative samples were run to control the quality of the HBsAg kit as external quality assurance.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData processing and analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eData were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between explanatory variables and the outcome variable using odds ratios at 95% CIs. Predictor variables with a P-value \u0026lt;0.25 in the bivariate analysis were candidates for the multivariable logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between HBsAg seropositivity and various factors. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to check the overall model fitness.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocio-demographic and obstetric characteristics \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 479 mothers have participated in this study with a mean age 25.9 (SD \u0026plusmn;5.01). The majority of the mothers interviewed 411 (85.8%) were married, and more than two-thirds of the respondents 185 (38.6%) had primary education. More than half of the participants (245, 51.1%) were housewives, while 265 (55.3%) of the mothers were rural residents. Age between 26 and 30 years was the dominant maternal age group with 151 (31.5%) mothers, while mothers older than 35 were only 23 (4.8%).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding the obstetric history of the mothers, 121 (25.3%) had no previous birth history, while the remaining 358 (74.7%) reported that they had multiple pregnancies. Out of 479 pregnant women, 99 (20.7%) were in the first trimester, 245 (50.5%) were in the second trimester, and the rest were in the third trimester. It was assessed that 32 (6.7%) of pregnant women had a history of abortion in the past. Among 479 respondents, 103 mothers had a history of home delivery (21.5%), and 255 mothers had a history of institutional delivery (52.2%).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrevalence of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehepatitis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e B virus among \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eANCs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e following \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epregnancy\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe prevalence of HBV among pregnant mothers who were on ANC follow-up in the Gedeo Zone was 9.2% during the study period.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBivariate and Multivariable Analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the bivariate analysis, a history of blood transfusion, previous history of hospital admission, previous history of abortion, gestational age, previous place of birth, age of the pregnant women, and HIV status of the pregnant women was significantly associated with HBV status of the pregnant women. As indicated, candidates in Table 1 were candidates for the multivariate logistic regression analysis. In the final analysis, women with a previous history of blood transfusion, previous history of hospital admission, previous place of birth, ear-piercing practice, current gestational age, and HIV status of the pregnant women were significant factors that determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis B \u003ca name=\"_Toc12561797\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca name=\"_Toc12555070\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca name=\"_Toc11772200\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003evirus of pregnant women in the Gedeo zone in the multivariable logistic regression.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e. Bivariate and \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emultivariable\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e logistic analysis of HBV among pregnant women in\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e the\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" width=\"0\"\u003e\r\n\u003ctbody\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd colspan=\"2\" width=\"148\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHBV\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eCOR\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAOR\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-\u003c/em\u003evalue\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePositive\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNegative\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlood transfusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e398\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e4.5 (2.2-9.4)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e5.2 (2.1-12.5)**\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHospital Admission\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e373\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e62\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3.8(2.0-7.4)***\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3.0 (1.4-6.6)**\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.006\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody tattooing\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e332\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eyes\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.6 (0.3-1.4)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.8 (0.3-2.1)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.719\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory of ear piercing\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e60\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e375\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3.4 (0.8-14.2)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e4.4 (0.9-21.2)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.067\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory of abortion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e410\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3.1 (1.3-7.7)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e4.1 (1.5-11.7)**\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResidence\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e236\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.6 (0.3-1.2)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1.6 (0.8-3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.220\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e199\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGestational age\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFirst trimester\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e3.3 (1.3-8.5)*\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e2.7 (0.9-8.1)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSecond trimester\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e220\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1.9 (0.8-4.5)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e2.1 (0.8-5.7)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.151\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThird trimester\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e131\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAge of the pregnant women\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;20\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e2.8 (0.98-8.1)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e5.1 (1.5-18.0)*\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e20-29\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e148\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1.3 (0.4-3.7)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e2.0 (0.6-6.6)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.275\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e30-39\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e142\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.9 (0.3-2.7)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.98 (0.3-3.5)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.979\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e40-49\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e68\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHIV status\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNegative\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e427\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003ctr\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"163\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePositive\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"76\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"72\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"93\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e6.8 (2.1-21.9)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"106\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e8.3 (1.9-36.0)**\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003ctd width=\"60\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003c/td\u003e\r\n\u003c/tr\u003e\r\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\r\n\u003c/table\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e* p \u0026lt; 0.05, ** p \u0026lt; 0.01, *** p \u0026lt; 0.001\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the multivariable logistic analysis after controlling for the cofounders, previous history of blood transfusion [AOR=5.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 12.5], previous history of hospital admission [AOR=3, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.6], history of having an abortion [AOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 11.7], age of the pregnant women [AOR=5.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 18.0], and HIV status of the mother [AOR=8.1, 95% CI: 1.9, 36.0] were significant factors associated with HBV infection among pregnant women in the Gedeo Zone.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eSurface antigen (HBsAg) can be used as the main marker to indicate the prevalence and endemicity of HBV active infection in the general population in a particular geographical area [36]. In this study area, the overall seroprevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women was 9.2%, which could be considered as a high endemicity area (with seropositivity \u0026ge;8% seropositive), based on WHO classification criteria of endemicity of HBV infection [16].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe prevalence was the highest across the country compared to the pooled prevalence indicated by [30] recently. Previous studies in different regions of Ethiopia reported lower proportions, from the lowest prevalence (3.7%) in Jimma town to the highest (8.4%) in Dire Dawa [23-29]. However, the finding was lower than findings reported by other developing countries, with (8%) in Mali [19], (9.7%) in Cameroon [20], (10.8%) in Yemen [21], (11.8%) in Uganda [22], and (16.6%) in Nigeria [23]. The observed discrepancies in the magnitude of HBV prevalence across different geographical locations and regions might be due to variations in socio-demographic characteristics of the study population, such as socio-cultural, and tribal practices. Moreover, the variation in diagnosis methodologies, level of awareness, and the quality and access to antenatal care service provision might add to the difference.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, except for age of the pregnant women all the other socio-demographic variables such as marital status, residence, educational status and occupation of the pregnant women did not significantly associated with the risk of acquiring HBV infection (p\u0026gt; 0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBlood transfusion as an identified well-established risk factor for HBsAg [37], was significantly associated with seropostivity of HBsAg among Pregnant women in the Gedeo Zone. Pregnant women with a previous history of blood transfusion were five times more likely to be infected with HBV than women who had no history of blood transfusion. This result is in accordance with previous similar studies [28, 32-33].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, a previous history of hospital admission was associated with HBV among pregnant women. This might be due to poor infection prevention practices among the health facilities during hospital admission and delivery. Previous hospital admissions were one of the predictors in other previous findings [34, 38].\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePregnant women with a history of abortion had four times increased risk of having HBV infection when compared with those who without previous history abortion practice. These could be justified by either the abortion was\u0026nbsp; the result of unsafe sexual encounter which is considered as the predominant mode of transmission path way for Hepatitis B infection\u0026nbsp; among pregnant women or the poor quality of the abortion practices might be the reason for the exposure. This finding was in line with previous findings in different parts in Ethiopia [33, 34]. Pregnant women with age less than 20 were more at risk of having unsafe sexual encounters than the other age groups. This could be one prominent reason why history of abortion and being in the age under 20 has similar effect on pregnant mothers\u0026rsquo; seropostivity for HBsAg. This was similar to the finding reported by [41], where the proportion of HBV infection was significantly higher in the age group 15\u0026ndash;17 years old and [34], \u0026lt;25 year old pregnant women.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe HIV status of the pregnant women was another determinant of HBV infection in this study as in findings in other studies [21, 28, 32, and 38]. Since Ethiopia is categorized as a country with a high HIV burden [39] and in a region with a high HBV endemic area [40], the possibility of HBV/HIV co-infection is a more anticipated precedent. Moreover, it was reported that the co-infection of HIV/HBV could greatly facilitate HBV replication and reactivation, leading to higher HBV-DNA levels and reduced spontaneous clearance of the virus [40].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eA higher prevalence (9.2%) of HBV infection was detected in the study area which is higher than the national pooled prevalence which was 4.75%. This study illustrated that the seroprevalence of HBV infection has significant association with having a history of blood transfusion, hospital admission, HIV positive status, having history of abortion and pregnant women\u0026rsquo;s age in Gedeo zone southern Ethiopia.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo reduce the seroprevalence of HBV infection in the Gedeo Zone, health education on the risk of HIV, abortion and unsafe sex at early age and safety issues during admission to hospitals is needed at the Zonal level and health facility level. The screening of all pregnant women for hepatitis B virus must be integrated in the routine antenatal care services.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe data sets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclosure \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe funding body had no role in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and in writing the manuscript of this study.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contributions \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMhiret Belay Tadiwos\u003c/strong\u003e: conceptualization, investigation, Project administration, methodology, Formal analysis, analysis, writing original draft.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGirum Gebremeskel Kanno\u003c/strong\u003e: methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review \u0026amp; editing, manuscript preparation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbereham Shiferaw Areba\u003c/strong\u003e: methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review \u0026amp; editing, manuscript preparation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMekonnen Birhanie Aregu\u003c/strong\u003e: methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review \u0026amp; editing, manuscript preparation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobel Hussen Kabtyemer:\u003c/strong\u003e methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review \u0026amp; editing, manuscript preparation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZeleke Girma Abate:\u003c/strong\u003e methodology, data curation, analysis, editing, supervision, writing review \u0026amp; editing, manuscript preparation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to forward our deepest gratitude to Dilla University College of Health Sciences and Medicine and NORHED/SENUPH project for their financial support to conduct this research.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical Approval \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval of this study was approved after review by the \u0026ldquo;Dilla University Institutional Research and Ethical Review Board\u0026rdquo;, and the research was carried out only after an ethical letter was obtained with Protocol Unique number \u003cstrong\u003e009/19-01\u003c/strong\u003e. A consent form was provided to all participants, and the purpose and importance of the study were explained to each study participant. To ensure the confidentiality of the participant\u0026rsquo;s information, codes were used instead of the names of the participant. Participants were interviewed alone to maintain privacy. All participants did not pay for the test. Voluntary participation was clearly explained to all the participants that they could choose to participate in before the study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Guidelines for the prevention, care, and treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis b infection. Geneva; 2015. \u003ca href=\"http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/\"\u003ehttp://www.who.int/hiv/topics/\u003c/a\u003e hepatitis/en/.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Emergencies preparedness, response: hepatitis: frequently asked questions [cited 2016 Jul 5]. Available from: \u003ca href=\"http://www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/world_hepatitis_day/question_answer/en/\"\u003ehttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/world_hepatitis_day/question_answer/en/\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMast EE, Margolis HS, Fiore AE, et al. A comprehensive immunization strategy to eliminate trans\u0026shy;mission of hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: recommen\u0026shy;dations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) part 1: immunization of infants, children, and adolescents. MMWR Recomm Rep 2005; 54:1-31.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eArauz-Ruiz P, Norder H, Robertson BH, Magnius LO. Genotype H: a new Amerindian genotype of hepatitis B virus revealed in Central America. J Gen Virol 2002; 83:2059.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eStephen A Contag M. Hepatitis in Pregnancy. Medscape. 2016;3:435-9.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eHwang EW, Cheung R. Global epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. N Am J Med Sci 2011;4:7-13.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eNavabakhsh, N. Mehrabi, A. Estakhri, M. Mohamadnejad, and H. Poustchi, \u0026ldquo;Hepatitis B Virus Infection during Pregnancy: Transmission and Prevention,\u0026rdquo; \u003cem\u003eMEJDD\u003c/em\u003e, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 92\u0026ndash;102, 2011.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003ePennap GR, Osanga ET, Ubam A. Seroprevalence of hepatitis b sur\u0026shy;face antigen among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in fed\u0026shy;eral medical center Keffi, Nigeria. Res J Med Sci 2011;5:80-82.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eTse KY, Ho LF, Lao T. The impact of maternal HBsAg carrier status on pregnancy outcomes: case\u0026ndash;control study. J Hepatol. 2005; 43 Epub 775.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eDessie T, Kassu D, Belete T, Tesfaye T (2014). Seroprevalence and transmission of hepatitis B virus among delivering women and their newborn in selected health facilities, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. BMC Res Notes 7:239.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAbram SB. Control of Communicable diseases Manual. 16th ed. Am Public Health Assoc. 1995: 250-252.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eZhang, Z. C., Chen, Z. Li, Y.-H. Wu, and X.-M. Xiao, Individualized management of pregnant women with high hepatitis B virus DNA levels. \u003cem\u003eWorld Journal of Gastroenterology\u003c/em\u003e, vol. 20, no. 34, pp. 12056\u0026ndash;12061, 2014.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWright T. L. Introduction to chronic hepatitis B infection. \u003cem\u003eAmerican Journal of Gastroenterology\u003c/em\u003e 101, no. 1, pp. S1\u0026ndash;S6, 2006.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eIkobah J, et al. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in Nigerian children prior to vaccine introduction into the National Programme on Immunization schedule. Pan Afr Med J. 2016; 23:128. \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.116\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.116\u003c/a\u003e 04/pamj.2016.23.128.8756.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Hepatitis B Fact sheet No 204. Available from: URL: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/. Accessed 7\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e Mar 2016.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Global policy report on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in WHO member states; 2013 [cited 2016 Jul 5]. Available from: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85397/ 1/9789241564632_eng.pdf.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Global policy report on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in WHO member states; 2013 [cited 2016 Jul 5]. Available from: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85397/ 1/9789241564632_eng.pdf.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eKiire CF. The epidemiology and prophylaxis of hepatitis B in sub-Saharan Africa: a view from tropical and subtropical Africa. Gut 1996; 38 Suppl 2:S5-S12.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eBrett MacLean, Rosanna F Hess, Edward Bonvillain, Joseph Kamate, Daoda Dao, Amy Cosimano, Shannon H. Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen among pregnant women attending the Hospital for Women \u0026amp; Children in Koutiala, Mali; S Afr Med J. 2012; 102:47-49.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAndreas A, Besong F, Julius A, Peter N. F and Peter M. N. Prevalence of HBsAg and knowledge about hepatitis B in pregnancy in the Buea Health District, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study; BMC Research Notes 2014, 7:394 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/7/394\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eEntisar A Murad, Suad M Babiker, Gasim I Gasim, Duria A Rayis and Ishag Adam Epidemiology of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in pregnant women in Sana\u0026rsquo;a, Yemen BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2013; 13:127 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/13/127\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eBayo P, Ochola E, Oleo C, et al. High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care: a cross-sectional study in two hospitals in northern Uganda. BMJ Open. 2014; 4: e005889. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2014-005889\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eKolawole OM, Wahab AA, Adekanle DA, Sibanda T, Okoh A. Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenemia and its effects on hematological parameters in pregnant women in Osogbo, Nigeria. Virology J. 2012; 9:317.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMohammed A. and Solomon G. Sero-prevalence of HBsAg and its risk factors among pregnant women in Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia. J.Healh Dev. 2005; 19(1)\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAbayneh T. T, Misanew A. T, Desta Hiko, C. F, and Gemechu K. J. Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and associated factors among pregnant women in Gambella hospital, South Western Ethiopia: facility-based cross-sectional study; BMC Infectious Diseases (2019) 19:602\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eYeshi M, Walelign D, Ibrahim A, Anteneh A. Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of hepatitis B virus among pregnant women in southern Ethiopia: a hospital-based cross-sectional study; Epidemiology and Health. 2016; Volume: 38, Article ID: e2016027, http://dx.doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2016027\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAnteneh A, Getachew F, Setegn E, Agete T, and Demissie A. Prevalence, Infectivity, and Associated Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Virus among Pregnant Women in Yirgalem Hospital, Ethiopia: Implication of Screening to Control Mother-to-Child Transmission Hindawi Journal of Pregnancy. 2018; Volume 2018, Article ID 8435910, 8 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/843591\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eGetahun T, Kasiye S and Firehiwot T. Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attended Antenatal Care Services in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia; J Women's Health Care. 2018; 7:3 DOI: 10.4172/2167-0420.1000436\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAsrat C, Aman Y and Amsalu A. (2017). Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen, and factors associated among pregnant women in Dawuro zone, SNNPR, Southwest Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes. 2017; 10:418\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eAlemu A A, Zeleke L B, Aynalem B Y, and Kassa G M. Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Its Determinants among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Hindawi, Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology Volume 2020, Article ID 9418475, https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9418475\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMekonnen R, Admasu D, Belete M. Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Mothers Attending Antenatal Care in Public Health Facilities, Dire Dawa. J Med Microb Diagn. 2018; 7: 281. doi:4172/2161-0703.1000281\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eGetnet G, Fikadu W, Almaz A. and Kihinetu G. Risk factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Felegehiwot referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: an institution based cross-sectional study BMC Res Notes. 2019; 12:509\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eTemesgen A. B. and Andamlak D. E. Sero-epidemiological patterns and predictors of hepatitis B, C, and HIV viruses among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic of Atat Hospital, Southern Ethiopia; SAGE Open Medicine. 2020; Volume 8: 1\u0026ndash;9 DOI: 10.1177/2050312119900870\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eGeta M, Ayalew G, Yizengaw E, Mihret A, Aseffa A,\u0026nbsp; Howe R, Moges F, Abate E. Seroprevalence of hepatitis b virus infection and associated factors among mothers in Gondar, north-west Ethiopia: a population-based study. Ethiop Med J; 2019:2:97-106\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eIntroduction of hepatitis B vaccine into childhood immunization services. 2001.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eShepard CW, Simard EP, Finelli L, Fiore AE, Bell BP. Hepatitis B virus infection: epidemiology and vaccination. Epidemiologic Reviews. 2006; 28 (1):112-125.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eCisneros-Castolo M, Hern\u0026aacute;ndez-Ruiz L, Ibarra-Robles IE, Fernandez-Garate RH, Escobedo-De La Pe\u0026ntilde;a J: Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and related risk factors in a rural community of Mexico. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001, 65:759\u0026ndash;763.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMortada EL-S, Mohamed F.M, Mona Salah El. D. H, Mohamed E, Shaimaa S. K. and H. El-K. Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Egyptian Pregnant Women - A Single Center Study \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u0026amp; Health. 2013; 3(2): 157-168,\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMinistry of health (MOH): Guidelines for Management of Opportunistic Infections and ART in Adolescents and Adults in Ethiopia. Federal Ministry Of Health 2007\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMartin C, Lilian H, Irma E, Ibarra R, Irma H, Fernandez G, Jorge E: Prevalence of HBV infection and risk factors in a rural community of Mexico. Am J trop Med Hyg 2001, 65(6):759-763.\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eMulu W, Zenebe Y, Abera B, Yimer M and Hailu T. Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus infections in young women seeking abortion care in Ethiopia: a cross - sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2016; 16:996 DOI 10.1186/s12889-016-3658-9\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Hepatitis B virus, Pregnancy, Sero-Prevalence, Gedio Zone, Ethiopia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Hepatitis B virus infection is a major public health problem worldwide and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant mothers in the Gedeo Zone, southern Ethiopia.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in governmental and private health facilities in the Gedeo zone from January to April 2019. The study participants were selected using systematic random sampling techniques. The Eugene strip test was used to determine hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant mothers. The status of HIV was collected from the records. Other variables were collected from the mothers using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Binary logistic regression was used for the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between HBsAg seropositivity and various factors. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant mothers was 9.2% in the Gedeo Zone. Previous history of blood transfusion [AOR=5.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 12.5], previous history of hospital admission [AOR=3, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.6], history of having an abortion [AOR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 11.7], age of the pregnant women [AOR=5.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 18.0], and HIV status of the mother [AOR=8.1, 95% CI: 1.9, 36.0]\u0026nbsp;had a statistically significant association with HBsAg seropositivity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Hepatitis B virus infection was found to have higher endemicity (9.2%) in the Gedeo Zone which is higher than the national pooled prevalence which was 4.75%. Early initiation of antenatal care services which incorporate the prevention and control of HBV must be implemented by the health facilities in the Gedeo Zone.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in health institutions in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2020-09-25 23:55:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2020-09-21 21:57:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-80793/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"81a9dd5f-58ce-45cf-a25f-4c044f4f6861","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 25th, 2020","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":558164,"name":"Infectious Diseases"},{"id":558165,"name":"Preventive Medicine"},{"id":558166,"name":"Tropical Medicine"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2021-02-19T14:50:56+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-80793","link":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132721993628","journal":[],"publishedOn":"2021-02-10 13:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 10th, 2021"},"versionCreatedAt":"2020-09-25 23:55:30","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1177/2150132721993628","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132721993628","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-80793","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-80793","identity":"rs-80793","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"cBFmMYwuxLRRLfASyISRj","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}