Assessment of hepatitis B knowledge and awareness among the Sudanese population in Khartoum State.

Introduction: globally it is estimated that majority of the burden of hepatitis B virus infection is in sub-Saharan African countries (SSA). Africa is also hit by a dreadful complication of hepatocellular carcinoma and sequalae of end-stage liver disease. Despite this, the knowledge and awareness of the population to this silent killer is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of hepatitis B virus among the general population within Sudan to understand the misconceptions and provide a better direction toward the disease elimination goals.

Methods: a community-based study was carried out in three locations in Khartoum state during a community hepatitis awareness campaign, where participants were provided education, screening, and vaccine. Data were collected after proper consent was obtained from the respective Institutional Review Board (IRB) office. Basic demographic characteristics, knowledge assessment questions, and awareness were used, which are derived from standard questionnaire. Finally, basic descriptive statistics were undergone to assess the knowledge and awareness of the participants.

Results: the study has shown that self-reported hepatitis B among the participants was 9.6%. There are areas of hepatitis B misconception in knowledge and awareness related to transmission, modes of prevention and disease state. We have also noticed that prior vaccine coverage was low among the groups, which is also another major concern.

Conclusion: the prevalence of hepatitis B from these randomly selected population groups is high. There is also lower vaccine coverage and many misconceptions in knowledge and awareness of hepatitis B. Policymakers should consider these issues seriously to improve the gaps in hepatitis B.