Abstract

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Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a spherical non-enveloped single-strand positive-sense RNA virus of the Hepevirus genus and the family Hepeviridae. Its infection is newly recognized serious threat to global public health and Africa has been reported to be among the most severely affected regions in the world, most likely due to poor sanitation and weak public health facilities. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of HEV infection among children presented with diarrhea attending Hasiya Bayero Paediatric and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano. The study was a cross sectional studies involving 90 children, selected by simple random sampling. Information was obtained using a questionnaire and stool samples were collected from the subjects for evaluation for detection of HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) using enzyme linked immunoassay kit. Data were summarized as percentages, charts and frequency tables and results were computed and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.0. Out of the 90 participants, 3 (3.3%) were positive while 87 are negative with Hepatitis E virus infection. Age and gender were insignificantly associated with HEV infection among the studied children, while type of toilet use (Pit latrine) is significantly association with HEV infection (P=0.033). The highest prevalence was observed among children aged 10- 16 years.

Keywords: Hepatitis E Virus, children, diarrhea, Kano