Factors influencing herpes simplex virus type 2 infection among females in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria

Herpes Simplex Virus infection is a chronic infection of the sensory ganglia with variable levels of epithelial expression. An important feature of HSV infection is the recurrence of disease as a result of periodic or sporadic activation of viral replication. In addition, asymptomatic shedding of he...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nigerian journal of medicine 2014-04, Vol.23 (2), p.130-141
Main Authors: Ojinmah, U R, Ozoh, G A O, Onyekonwu, C L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Coinfection - epidemiology
Coinfection - transmission
Coinfection - virology
Demography
Female
Herpes Genitalis - complications
Herpes Genitalis - epidemiology
Herpes Genitalis - transmission
Herpesvirus 2, Human - isolation & purification
HIV Infections - complications
HIV Infections - epidemiology
HIV Infections - transmission
Humans
Mass Screening
Middle Aged
Nigeria - epidemiology
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sexual Partners
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Herpes Simplex Virus infection is a chronic infection of the sensory ganglia with variable levels of epithelial expression. An important feature of HSV infection is the recurrence of disease as a result of periodic or sporadic activation of viral replication. In addition, asymptomatic shedding of herpes viruses may play a significant role in transmission from person to person. This infection being lifelong manifests only in a small proportion of those infected. It has presented public health concern because of its progressively increasing prevalence which some reports say is of epidemic proportion in developing countries and also for its synergistic effect with HIV infection. Determination of antibody prevalence to HSV-2/co-infection with HIV among females attending skin and ANC clinics in UNTH and ESUTH. One hundred and eighty suitably qualified subjects were appropriately recruited over a period of six months into this study. Essential information was collected using a questionnaire. Venous blood was also obtained for HSV 2 serology, HIV screening, and confirmation, if positive. The antibody prevalence of HSV 2 was found to be 77.8% (n = 137) and 14.6% (n = 20) had clinical diagnosis. The HIV and HSV-2 co-infection rate was 5.11% (n = 9). The risk factors for groups 1 [HSV2 Infection] and 2 [HSV2 & HIV co-infection] were similar with few differences, thus buttressing the fact that their modes of transmission are similar. Factors influencing Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection among females in Enugu included among other things older age and increasing number of lifetime sexual partners.
ISSN:1115-2613