Abstract
A study was conducted among 552 health workers at 6 health facilities in Nigeria. Lassa virus immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody was detected in 12.3%, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibody prevalence in the 6 health centres ranged from 1.2% to 27.3%. Prevalences were higher in primary and secondary health facilities than in tertiary centres. Seroprevalences ranged from 1.7% to 23.7% among different occupational groups of health workers; the highest observed antibody prevalence was among ward aids. Lassa virus IgM antibody, indicating recent infection, was present in 6 of the health workers, 5 of whom were ward aids and one was a nurse. All of the health workers with specific IgM came from a single facility in Lafia, sampled during an outbreak of Lassa fever.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 379-381 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |
| Volume | 91 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Health workers
- Lassa fever
- Nigeria
- Seroprevalence
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases