Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among female sex workers in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2) has public health importance as a leading cause of genital ulcers, which also facilitate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition and transmission by over two-fold or more. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of HSV-2, and to evaluate the relationship between HSV-2 infection and sociodemographic factors of female sex workers (FSWs) in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria.This cross-sectional study involved 200 FSWs and was carried out with structured questionnaires for sociodemographic and behavioral information and laboratory tests for HSV-2 IgG antibodies using HerpeSelect ELISA.Overall HSV-2 seroprevalence was 37.5%, with higher prevalence of 42.4% and 40.3 % among FSWs in Garki II and Wuse II while those residing in Brothel/Hotel also had the highest seroprevalence of 40.0%. There was no significance difference (P>0.05) in the prevalence of HVS-2 with respect to location and place of residence. With regards to the level of education and marital status, FSWs who cannot read and write, and those that are Single/cohabit had the highest prevalence of 76.5% and 39.6% respectively. HSV-2 seroprevalence increased with age, duration in commercial sex work, number of clients and non-usage of condom.With the influx of FSWs in the study area and increasing evidence that HSV-2 infection has a synergistic activity on acquiring HIV infection, targeted public health awareness campaigns and good health–seeking behavior on noticing genital rashes, urethral discharges, and vaginal discharges are recommended among the studied population.Keywords: Herpes Simplex Virus type 2, Female Sex Worker, seroprevalence, condom, Nigeri