{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,7]],"date-time":"2025-11-07T14:10:51Z","timestamp":1762524651649,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"African Journals Online (AJOL)","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Afr H. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Practices among sickle cell anaemic (SCA) children may increase their risk of infection with blood-borne viruses. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among children with SCA compared to controls.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study that involved 200 children with SCA and 200 non-SCA children (controls). Information was obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was done using Smartcare\u00ae rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) kits for HBV and HCV. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22. P&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Five (2.5%) and 21 (10.5%) of the SCA children recruited into the study were positive for HBsAg and anti-HCV respectively, compared to 2(1.0%) and 13 (6.5%) observed in controls. The Logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender (AOR=3.39, 95%CI=1.20-9.57, p=0.016), age (AOR=0.88, 95%CI=0.79-0.99, p=0.033), and multiple ear piercings (AOR=1.93, 95%CI=1.17-21.59, p=0.021) were correlates of HCV infection among study participants.Conclusion: A high prevalence rate of HCV infection was observed among children with SCA and was significantly associated with a modifiable variable.\r\nKeywords: Case-controls; Correlates; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C virus; Prevalence; Sickle cell anaemia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4314\/ahs.v25i1.13","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T11:43:38Z","timestamp":1753875818000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and correlates of Hepatitis B and C infections in Sickle cell anaemic (SCA) children compared to Controls in a Tertiary Hospital, Abakaliki, Southeast, Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.4314","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Samuel","family":"Amechi Nwukor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chinonyelum","family":"Thecla Ezeonu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria-lauretta","family":"Chito Orji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patricia","family":"Ngozi Udechukwu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nnaemeka","family":"Kenneth Omeje","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2895","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]]},"container-title":["African Health Sciences"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/ahs\/article\/download\/294981\/277573","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/ahs\/article\/download\/294981\/277573","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,7]],"date-time":"2025-11-07T14:06:30Z","timestamp":1762524390000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/ahs\/article\/view\/294981"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4314\/ahs.v25i1.13","relation":{},"ISSN":["1729-0503","1680-6905"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1729-0503"},{"type":"print","value":"1680-6905"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]]}}}