Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 and 2 among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Mile Four Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Herpes simplex virus type (HSV-1 and 2) infections are one of the major sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type-1 and 2 among pregnant women attending antenatal care at mile four Hospital Abakaliki Nigeria. Blood samples were aseptically collected from 88 pregnant women who gave informed consent and completed a self-administered questionnaire. Blood samples were screened for HSV-1 and 2 specific IgG antibodies using an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test kit. The haematological indices were determined using Mythic 22 machine method. The Chi-square test was used to determine associations between seropositivity and socio-demographic variables. The overall prevalence of HVS types was 55(62.50%), thus 36(40.91%) were positive for HSV-1, 19(21.59%) for HSV-2 and 17(19.32%) for HSV 1 and 2 co-infected. The prevalence of HSV type 1 and 2 were observed to be higher among pregnant women within the age of 24-29, (18.18%);(11.36%), within their third trimester, (23.86%);(12.50%), and zero parity, (15.91%);(10.23%) respectively. There were no significant changes in the haematological parameters tested in all age groups except for the pack cell volume which was lower than the normal range as a result of the pregnancy. Statistical analysis showed that prevalence of HSV-1 and 2 were significantly associated with age, occupation, trimester, gravidity and parity (P≤ 0.05). This study observed the potential public health impact of HSV-1 and 2 and co-infection among pregnant women in Abakaliki Nigeria and especially considering the possible risk of congenital transmission, thus there is need for frequent educating the pregnant women about the danger of HSV.