Author(s)

Etanguno Effiong Owowo¹, Mary Anthony Christopher¹, Iquo Effiong Okon², Ukponobong Effiong Antia¹, Veronica Umoh¹

¹Department of Microbiology, Akwa Ibom State University, Mkpat-Enin, Nigeria.
²Health Initiative for Stability & Safety in Africa (HIFASS), Uyo, Nigeria.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is an important global infection with a worldwide prevalence of about 40 percent. This infection is contagious and mostly acquired during childhood through the fecal-oral and oral-oral route. A total of 1560 blood specimens were aseptically collected from Internally Displaced Persons comprising female and male from the warring communities of Bakassi Peninsular and Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in South Southern, Nigeria. The specimens were screened for H. pylori using Elisa kits following standard serological techniques. The overall prevalence rate was 464 (29.7%). There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the inter-community endemicity of H. pylori infection; its distribution varied between age group, educational status, habits or behaviors of the subjects with children within 5 to 14 years having the highest rate of 274 (17.6%), followed by 78 (4.99%) from adults (51 years and above) and 17 (1.08%) from active age range of 36 - 45 years old. Subjects with primary and quranic level of education showed a total of 274 (17.56%) positive cases to H. pylori. Analysis of sex-specific distribution revealed that females had the highest prevalence of 312 (20%). The helicobacter infection shows a significant difference at (p < 0.05) among the occupational groups of the subject. The study of habits such as smoking and snuffing consumption have been linked as risk factors with a prevalence rate of 11%, 12.4% respectively, while regular alcoholic drink was indicted as enhancing factor for H. pylori infection. Crowding in camps and increasing household contact have been considered as risk factors of H. pylori infection. Adequate infrastructural provision and availability of portable water with good hygienic environment will drastically reduce the high rate spread of H. pylori bacterium in the IDPs communities in Nigeria.

Helicobacter pylori, Internally Displaced Persons, Camp

Owowo, E. , Christopher, M. , Okon, I. , Antia, U. and Umoh, V. (2019) Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Internally Displaced Persons from Bakassi Peninsular and Etim Ekpo in South Southern, Nigeria. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 7, 28-37. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2019.79004.