Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viral Infection Among Pregnant Women in Peshawar, Pakistan

Background: viral hepatitis during pregnancy is associated with a high risk of maternal complications. the virus has a high risk of vertical transmission and it has been reported as the leading cause of maternal death. objectives: to study the prevalence of hepatitis b (hbv) and hepatitis c (hcv) viral infections among pregnant women in the peshawar district of pakistan. materials and methods: the cross-sectional study took place between july 2013 and april 2014. a total of 10,288 samples were collected from pregnant women living in different areas of the peshawar district. the samples were centrifuged at a high speed in order to obtain a clear supernatant serum. all samples were screened for hbv and hcv using the immunochromatographic technique. results: the overall prevalence of hbv was found to be 1.16%, although it varied throughout the study period. the highest prevalence of hbv (1.69%) was observed during january 2014. the overall prevalence of hcv infection among the pregnant women was observed to be 1.42%. the highest prevalence of hcv infection (2.22%) was found during march 2014. conclusions: the overall prevalence of hbv and hcv was 1.16% and 1.42%, respectively. the incidence of hcv infection among the pregnant women was higher than that of hbv infection.