Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and associated factors among inmates: a cross sectional study in the Douala New Bell Prison, Cameroon

INTRODUCTION: in Cameroon, data on viral hepatitis B infection in prison environments is limited. We determined the prevalence of hepatitis B infection (HBV) and correlates among prisoners incarcerated at the Douala New Bell Central Prison in Cameroon. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study carried out in July 2018 and included 940 randomly selected prisoners. Data were collected using pre-tested questionnaire while blood screening for HBV surface antigen (HBs Ag) used rapid test, with confirmation via Elisa test. Sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors were compared among the three age groups with respect to the prison's partitioning. Factors associated with positive HBs Ag were identified using logistic regression adjusted to age and gender. Confounders were then excluded by logistic multivariate analysis. All p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: of the 940 prisoners selected, 94% were male. The mean age of the study population was 33.81 ± 10.35 years. The median duration of incarceration and median number of incarcerations were 12 months (IQR: 5-36) and 1 (IQR: 1-2) respectively. HBV prevalence was 12.9% (95% CI: 10.7-15%). The use of non-injectable illicit drugs (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.9-6.2; P<0.001), sharing of needle or razors (aOR: 24.1; 95% CI: 12.9-45.0; P<0.001), sharing of tooth brushes(aOR: 2.7; 95% CI: 0.9-7.4) (P=0.053), having tattoos or piercings (aOR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.1; P=0.01) were significantly associated with HBs Ag seropositivity. CONCLUSION: prisoners in this setting had a high prevalence of HBV and related risk factors. These findings highlight an urgent need to implement control strategies and programs that reach people in detention centers in Cameroon.