Serological and molecular detection of hepatitis C virus among students in a tertiary educational institution in Calabar, Nigeria: Détection sérologique et moléculaire du virus de l'hépatite C chez les étudiants d'un établissement d'enseignement supérieur à Calabar, Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health problem and continues to be a major disease burden in the world, associated with serious health challenges including liver cirrhosis, cancer, lymphomas and death. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of HCV infection among students of the University of Calabar. Methodology: In a cross-sectional study, 200 students were tested for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies using a rapid immunochromatographic (ICT) assay (CTK Biotech, Inc. USA). Seropositive samples were confirmed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for detection of HCV RNA. Structured questionnaires were used to collect subjects’ socio-demographic data and risk factors of infection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0, with the level of significance set at p