Serologic evidence of Zika virus, hepatitis B virus and rubella virus in pregnant women attending a south-west based Nigerian tertiary care centre An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based study

Abstract

This study investigated serological evidence for Zika, hepatitis B and rubella virus infection in 92 pregnant women attending a south-west based Nigerian tertiary care centre from January to May 2023. Of the 92 samples, 31 (33.7%), 14 (15.2%), and 90 (97.8%) exhibited seropositivity for Zika, hepatitis B, and rubella virus respectively. Cases of co-positives were also reported, with 28.3% seropositive for both Zika and rubella virus, 10.9% for hepatitis B and rubella virus, and 4.3% for all three viruses. The findings of this study underscore that a considerable portion of participants are susceptible to Zika and hepatitis B virus. Conversely, the majority of the participants appeared to be protected against rubella virus. This study strongly advocates initiation of public awareness campaigns and formulation of vaccination policies targeting women of reproductive age. Such measures are crucial for countering viral infections which could harm the developing foetus and give rise to pregnancy-related complications.