Abstract
Introduction: The fight against hepatitis B in Africa requires knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease in community setting and, above all, patient follow-up. Our objective was to study the outcome of patients after screening for hepatitis B in a community-based setting in Ouagadougou in July 2018.
Methods: We conducted a descriptive cohort study of 787 people screened, sensitized and followed up for 18 months to describe their outcome after screening. Proportions were calculated.
Results: The prevalence of hepatitis B was 11.94%. At 6 months, only 2 patients were cured; only 54.02% were followed up, of which 14.89% were under treatment. At 12 months, 28.74% of patients followed up had stopped the follow-up; two patients had progressed to liver cirrhosis. At 18 months, only 18.09% of patients had benefited from regular follow-up since screening; and 73.59% of those who tested negative had been vaccinated. The reasons for stopping or not seeking follow-up were financial constraints and not finding the need for follow-up.
Conclusion: The high vaccination coverage after the screening campaign was the main interest of the screening campaign in the prevention of hepatitis B. However, the high proportion of patients not followed up and the reasons given forward revealed that despite the severity of hepatitis B, it remains neglected, hence, the importance of having strong health policies to remove the obstacles linked to the lack of follow-up in order to avoid the progression towards complications but also the spread of the disease.