Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus in Females of Childbearing Age in Local Population of Rawalpindi

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of Herpes simplex virus among females of childbearing age. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Virology department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, from 1July 2022 to 31 December 2022. Materials and Methods: A total of two hundred and sixty-seven (267) females of childbearing age (15-49 years) were included in this study. The blood samples were taken for detection of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of Vircell, Spain. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of total 267 samples, 213 (82%) were positive and 54 (18%) were negative for HSV IgG. The positivity for HSV IgG was most frequent in the age group-1 (20-29 years) with 111 (50%) positive cases, followed by 87 (32%) in age group-2 (30-39 years) and 15(5.6%) in age group-3 (40-49 years). People with low socioeconomic status had higher positivity of HSV IgG antibodies, while those with high socioeconomic status had a lower positivity of HSV IgG antibodies. Conclusion: The study concluded that most females of childbearing age had previously been exposed to HSV, as evidenced by the presence of IgG antibodies. However, a significant number of women had not been exposed to the virus, putting them at risk of contracting HSV and potentially facing its complications during a future pregnancy.