International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Nyamusi MM et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2016 Nov;3(11):3096-3101 http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20163918 Original Research Article Seroprevalence of hepatitis B among pregnant women in Kigali, Rwanda Mochama M. Nyamusi*, Onesmus T. Marete, Wilson R. Waweru School of Public health, Mount Kenya University, Kigali, Rwanda Received: 27 August 2016 Accepted: 28 September 2016 *Correspondence: Dr. Mochama M. Nyamusi, E-mail:
[email protected] Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B virus belongs to the family Hepadnaviridae. It is the commonest cause of chronic viral hepatitis. It is responsible for up to 80% of primary liver cancers. Despite the existence of a safe and effective vaccine, HBV infections still remain a global public health problem. Pregnant women who are carriers of the virus pose a significant risk to their unborn babies. Early diagnosis in this group can provide an avenue for prevention of mother to child transmission which will in turn lead to a reduction in the number of chronic carriers who act as a source of new infections. Methods: The study was a multicenter, hospital based cross-sectional study. Data collection was using a questionnaire-guided interview followed by HBsAg determination using SD bioline test device.