1.1 Introduction
Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite RNA virus that depends on HBV for propagation (Hughes et al., 2011). It uses the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as a viral envelope and shares the same hepatocyte receptor for viral entry (Botelho-Souza et al., 2017). HDV is among the smallest of viruses capable of causing human disease, yet HBV co-infection with HDV is the most severe form of viral hepatitis (Hughes et al., 2011). HDV transmission follows two patterns. Infection occurring simultaneously with HBV can cause extensive hepatic necrosis and manifest as a severe or even fulminant hepatitis with a high case fatality rate (Botelho-Souza et al., 2017). With recovery, simultaneous infection in adults usually results in clearance of both viruses (Hughes et al., 2011).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
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