Olakunde BO, Adeyinka DA, Olakunde OA, et al.
Nigeria has a high burden of hepatitis B virus infection, commonly acquired through vertical transmission, but lacks an efficient surveillance system for understanding its epidemiology among pregnant women. Building on a prior review covering 2000-2013, this systematic review and meta-analysis searched four databases from January 2014 to February 2021, identifying 158 studies and including 20 studies covering 26,548 pregnant women. The pooled prevalence of hepatitis B infection was 6.49%, significantly lower among women with at least secondary education than those with no or primary education, though prevalence did not differ by age, religion, marital status, or tribe. The authors conclude that Nigeria has intermediate hepatitis B endemicity among pregnant women and recommend scaling up antenatal screening, antiviral prophylaxis, and infant vaccination to prevent perinatal transmission.
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