A SINGLE-CENTER CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF SEROPREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B AND C IN MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

Introduction: Chronic viral hepatitis continues to be a global problem responsible for significant morbidity and death and a substantial economic burden. The World Health Organization estimated 296 million and 58 million individuals to be infected with HBV and HCV in 2019. In Somalia, few studies reported on HBV and HCV have shown varying results. This study is conducted to give insights on prevalence in Somalia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on data collated from June 2019 to July 2022 among patients visiting Kalkaal Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the datas normality, and the Chi-square test to determine the difference between categorical variables. A total of 24,017 people were included in the study, comprising 58.4% females and 41.6% men. The prevalence of hepatitis B was 4.2%, while the prevalence of hepatitis C was 0.3%. The HBV prevalence was highest among females aged 50 to 59 (10.1%). HCV prevalence was highest among males aged over 60(3.6%). Conclusion:The high prevalence of HBV and HCV across genders and its variation for different age groups in this study highlights a severe public health issue that requires rethinking vaccination strategy and policy.