Hepatitis C virus infection in asymptomatic male volunteer blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan

Educational interventions to improve hepatitis C testing or treatment in South Asian communities: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C (HCV) places a disproportionately higher burden on the South Asian community in comparison to the general population, despite the availability of effective antiviral therapies. This study seeks to characterize the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives aimed at South Asians to improve HCV prevention, education, screening, and treatment adherence. METHODS: A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42021253796) was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, ERIC, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 15 April 2022 for original studies that reported on any health promotion initiative directed at improving HCV outcomes in the South Asian community. Risk of bias was assessed via a quality score. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies (6 uncontrolled interventional, 3 before-after interventional, 3 randomized controlled, 2 prospective cohort, and 1 historically controlled interventional study designs) involving 69,958 participants were included. The most studied interventions were formal HCV teaching (n = 12), community outreach (n = 6), and coupling screening/testing with existing programs (n = 3). Ninety-two percent (14/15) of interventions were concluded to be successful, and 71% (10/14) of those were concluded to be feasible and/or cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that aim to improve HCV education and accessibility to screening/treatment can substantially reduce barriers to care in South Asian communities. Further research, of higher quality RCT evidence, is needed to study the long-term reduction in HCV prevalence from these proposed interventions, and their associated feasibility profiles.

Identification of risk factors for hepatitis B and C in Peshawar, Pakistan

Background

Hepatitis B and C need immediate worldwide attention as the infection rates are too high. More than 240 million people have chronic (long-term) liver infections. Every year, about 600,000 people die globally due to the acute or chronic consequences of hepatitis B and more than 350,000 people die from hepatitis C-related liver diseases.

Methods

Our study was designed as a case-control, descriptive study. It was conducted through formal interviews by using structured questionnaires. A total of 100 cases were included, with four controls for each case.

Results

This study confirms household contact, history of dental work, history of surgery, sexual contact, and history of transfusion (blood and its components) as the main risk factors which are responsible for the increased prevalence of hepatitis.

Conclusion

The important risk factors, responsible for the high prevalence of hepatitis B and C in our society are household contact, history of dental work, history of surgery, sexual contact, and history of transfusion (blood and its components). The odds ratio of probability for these risk factors are: 4.2 for household contact history, 4.1 for history of dental work, 3.9 for sexual contact, 2.7 for history of surgery, and 2.1 for history of transfusion. Associations of other predictor variables (diabetes status, education level, profession, contact sports, intravenous drug abuse, residence, immunosuppression, and skin tattoos) were not statistically significant.

Potential for human immunodeficiency virus parenteral transmission in the Middle East and North Africa: An analysis using hepatitis C virus as a proxy biomarker

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has endured several major events of infection parenteral transmission. Recent work has established the utility of using hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a proxy biomarker for assessing the epidemic potential for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) parenteral transmission. In this review, we use data on the prevalence of HCV infection antibody (seroprevalence) among general population and high risk population groups to assess the potential for HIV parenteral transmission in MENA. Relatively low prevalence of HCV infection in the general population groups was reported in most MENA countries indicating that parenteral HIV transmission at endemic levels does not appear to be a cause for concern. Nonetheless, there could be opportunities for localized HIV outbreaks and transmission of other blood-borne infections in some settings such as healthcare facilities. Though there have been steady improvements in safety measures related to parenteral modes of transmission in the region, these improvements have not been uniform across all countries. More precautions, including infection control training programs, surveillance systems for nosocomial infections and wider coverage and evaluation of hepatitis B virus immunization programs need to be implemented to avoid the unnecessary spread of HIV, HCV, and other blood-borne pathogens along the parenteral modes of transmission.

Does knowledge about bloodborne pathogens influence the reuse of medical injection syringes among women in Pakistan?

Injections with re-used syringes have been identified as a major risk factor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in Pakistan. We analyzed data from the 2006-2007 Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) to describe the distribution of injections administered with newly opened syringes and assessed the association of knowledge about bloodborne pathogens with syringe reuse in Pakistan. In the PDHS, women aged 12-49 years were enrolled through a multistage stratified cluster-sampling strategy across Pakistan. Approximately 10,000 women were interviewed to collect information regarding receiving injections, the use of syringes taken out of new unopened packages for their last injections, and knowledge regarding the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), HBV and HCV through the re-use of syringes and transfusion of unscreened blood. Of the 5126/10,023 women who provided information concerning their last injection, 4342 (86%) received this injection with a new syringe taken out of an unopened package. The proportion of injections received with a new syringe increased with the education level, wealth, HIV knowledge and knowledge about HCV/HBV transmission through the re-use of syringes. In the multivariable model, respondents in the 4th (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.1, 95%CI: 1.4-3.0) and 5th (AOR: 2.4, 95%CI: 1.6-3.5) wealth quintiles, with some education (AOR: 1.4, 95%CI: 1.1-1.9), those in the 4th quartile of the HIV knowledge score (AOR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-2.0), and those with the knowledge that a new syringe protects against HCV/HBV and HIV (AOR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.5-3.5) were more likely to receive injections with a newly opened syringe. The patients' knowledge regarding the transmission of bloodborne pathogens is an important factor in receiving injections with a new syringe.

Persisting role of healthcare settings in hepatitis C transmission in Pakistan: cause for concern

Transmission of hepatitis C (HCV) in Pakistan is a continuing public health problem; 15 years ago it was linked to the practice of reusing therapeutic instruments in healthcare settings. We sought to examine current risk factors for HCV transmission in a hospital population in Karachi, Pakistan. We enrolled 300 laboratory-confirmed HCV-positive participants and 300 laboratory-confirmed HCV-negative participants from clinics at Indus Hospital. Independent and significant risk factors for both men and women were: receiving ⩾12 injections in the past year, blood transfusions, having had dental work performed, and delivery in hospital or transfusion for women. Interestingly, being of Mohajir origin or born in Sindh province were protective. Encouragingly, a strong protective effect was observed for those that reported bringing their own needle for injections (59%). The widespread reuse of therapeutic needles in healthcare settings in Karachi remains a major driver of the HCV epidemic.

Meanings of blood, bleeding and blood donations in Pakistan: implications for national vs global safe blood supply policies

Contemporary public policy, supported by international arbitrators of blood policy such as the World Health Organization and the International Federation of the Red Cross, asserts that the safest blood is that donated by voluntary, non-remunerated donors from low-risk groups of the population. These policies promote anonymous donation and discourage kin-based or replacement donation. However, there is reason to question whether these policies, based largely on Western research and beliefs, are the most appropriate for ensuring an adequate safe blood supply in many other parts of the world. This research explored the various and complex meanings embedded in blood using empirical ethnographic data from Pakistan, with the intent of informing development of a national blood policy in that country. Using a focused ethnographic approach, data were collected in 26 in-depth interviews, 6 focus group discussions, 12 key informant interviews and 25 hours of observations in blood banks and maternity and surgical wards. The key finding was that notions of caste-based purity of blood, together with the belief that donors and recipients are symbolically knitted in a kin relationship, place a preference on kin-blood. The anonymity inherent in current systems of blood extraction, storage and use as embedded in contemporary policy discourse and practice was problematic as it blurred distinctions that were important within this society. The article highlights the importance-to ensuring a safe blood supply-of basing blood procurement policies on local, context-specific belief systems rather than relying on uniform, one-size-fits-all global policies. Drawing on our empirical findings and the literature, it is argued that the practice of kin-donated blood remains a feasible alternative to the global ideal of voluntary, anonymous donations. There is a need to focus on developing context-sensitive strategies for promoting blood safety, and critically revisit the assumptions underlying contemporary global blood procurement policies.

The effectiveness of outreach testing for hepatitis C in an immigrant Pakistani population

In Scotland, an estimated 1% of the population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). There is ethnic diversity in Scotland, with a large Pakistani sub-population. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of HCV in an immigrant Pakistani population and effectiveness of an outreach testing intervention. We arranged a series of HCV awareness meetings at the mosques and Pakistani Women's centre in the city of Dundee. Thereafter short-term outreach HCV testing clinics were set up in the same venues. Venous blood samples were obtained and tested for HCV IgG and HbsAg. A short questionnaire was also completed. In total, 177 individuals volunteered for testing, out of an estimated 250 who attended meetings and a total Pakistani population in Dundee of 1723. Of those tested 170 were Scottish Pakistanis (159 first generation, 11 second generation). There were 145 (85·2%) men. The mean age was 45·11 (±s.d. 16·7) years. Seven (4·1%) individuals in the cohort were anti-HCV positive. Five (2·9%) were found to have HCV RNA by PCR. Only one patient had chronic hepatitis B infection. All patients with positive results were seen in the liver clinic for consideration of treatment. We have demonstrated that immigrant Pakistanis retain a higher prevalence of HCV compared to the population of their adopted country. Outreach targeted testing in this group can be achieved using religious and cultural gatherings, with only modest investment in staff time.

A systematic review of hepatitis C virus epidemiology in Asia, Australia and Egypt

BACKGROUND

The hepatitis C pandemic has been systematically studied and characterized in North America and Europe, but this important public health problem has not received equivalent attention in other regions.

AIM

The objective of this systematic review was to characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology in selected countries of Asia, Australia and Egypt, i.e. in a geographical area inhabited by over 40% of the global population.

METHODOLOGY

Data references were identified through indexed journals and non-indexed sources. In this work, 7770 articles were reviewed and 690 were selected based on their relevance.

RESULTS

We estimated that 49.3-64.0 million adults in Asia, Australia and Egypt are anti-HCV positive. China alone has more HCV infections than all of Europe or the Americas. While most countries had prevalence rates from 1 to 2% we documented several with relatively high prevalence rates, including Egypt (15%), Pakistan (4.7%) and Taiwan (4.4%). Nosocomial infection, blood transfusion (before screening) and injection drug use were identified as common risk factors in the region. Genotype 1 was common in Australia, China, Taiwan and other countries in North Asia, while genotype 6 was found in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. In India and Pakistan genotype 3 was predominant, while genotype 4 was found in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

CONCLUSION

We recommend implementation of surveillance systems to guide effective public health policy that may lead to the eventual curtailment of the spread of this pandemic infection.

Health care risk factors among women and personal behaviours among men explain the high prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in Karachi, Pakistan

To estimate the prevalence and identify factors associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among men and women in Karachi, Pakistan. We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult men and women in a peri-urban community of Karachi (Jam Kandah). Households were selected through systematic sampling from within all villages in the study area. All available adults within each household were interviewed about potential HCV risk factors. A blood specimen was collected to test for anti-HCV antibodies by enzyme immunoassay. We used generalized estimating equations while accounting for correlation of responses within villages to identify the factors associated with HCV infection. Of 1997 participants, 476 (23.8%) were anti-HCV positive. Overall, HCV infection was significantly associated with increasing age, ethnicity, and having received > or =2 blood transfusions, > or =3 hospitalizations, dental treatment and >5 injections among women. Among women, > or =2 blood transfusions [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.32], >5 injections during the past 6 months (aORs = 1.47), dental treatment (aOR = 1.31) and increasing age(aOR = 1.49), while among men, extramarital sexual intercourse (aOR = 2.77), at least once a week shave from barber (aOR = 5.04), > or =3 hospitalizations (aOR = 2.50) and increasing age (aOR = 1.28) were associated with HCV infection. A very high prevalence of HCV was found in the study population. Among women, unsafe health care practices, while among men extramarital sex, shaving from a barber and hospitalizations were associated with HCV infection. Efforts are needed to improve the safety of medical procedures to reduce the transmission of HCV in Pakistan [Corrections made in Summary after initial online publication.].

Injection drug use is a risk factor for HCV infection in urban Egypt

Objective

To identify current risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission in Greater Cairo.

Design and Setting

A 1∶1 matched case-control study was conducted comparing incident acute symptomatic hepatitis C patients in two “fever” hospitals of Greater Cairo with two control groups: household members of the cases and acute hepatitis A patients diagnosed at the same hospitals. Controls were matched on the same age and sex to cases and were all anti-HCV antibody negative. Iatrogenic, community and household exposures to HCV in the one to six months before symptoms onset for cases, and date of interview for controls, were exhaustively assessed.

Results

From 2002 to 2007, 94 definite acute symptomatic HCV cases and 188 controls were enrolled in the study. In multivariate analysis, intravenous injections (OR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.2–20.2), medical stitches (OR = 4.2; 95% CI = 1.6–11.3), injection drug use (IDU) (OR = 7.9; 95% CI = 1.4–43.5), recent marriage (OR = 3.3; 95% CI = 1.1–9.9) and illiteracy (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.8–8.5) were independently associated with an increased HCV risk.

Conclusion

In urban Cairo, invasive health care procedures remain a source of HCV transmission and IDU is an emerging risk factor. Strict application of standard precautions during health care is a priority. Implementation of comprehensive infection prevention programs for IDU should be considered.

An autoregressive integrated moving average model for short-term prediction of hepatitis C virus seropositivity among male volunteer blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan

AIM: To identify the stochastic autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model for short term forecasting of hepatitis C virus (HCV) seropositivity among volunteer blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: Ninety-six months (1998-2005) data on HCV seropositive cases (1000^-1× month^-1) among male volunteer blood donors tested at four major blood banks in Karachi, Pakistan were subjected to ARIMA modeling. Subsequently, a fitted ARIMA model was used to forecast HCV seropositive donors for 91-96 mo to contrast with observed series of the same months. To assess the forecast accuracy, the mean absolute error rate (%) between the observed and predicted HCV seroprevalence was calculated. Finally, a fitted ARIMA model was used for short-term forecasts beyond the observed series.

RESULTS: The goodness-of-fit test of the optimum ARIMA (2,1,7) model showed non-significant autocorrelations in the residuals of the model. The forecasts by ARIMA for 91-96 mo closely followed the pattern of observed series for the same months, with mean monthly absolute forecast errors (%) over 6 mo of 6.5%. The short-term forecasts beyond the observed series adequately captured the pattern in the data and showed increasing tendency of HCV seropositivity with a mean ± SD HCV seroprevalence (1000^-1× month^-1) of 24.3 ± 1.4 over the forecast interval.

CONCLUSION: To curtail HCV spread, public health authorities need to educate communities and health care providers about HCV transmission routes based on known HCV epidemiology in Pakistan and its neighboring countries. Future research may focus on factors associated with hyperendemic levels of HCV infection.

Necrolytic acral erythema: successful treatment with topical tacrolimus ointment

Necrolytic acral erythema is a relatively recently described psoriasis-like skin eruption seen in people infected with hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C virus infection is endemic in many parts of the world with a steady increase of incidence in Pakistan. Recognition of this disorder is crucial to an early treatment of the underlying liver disease. Herein, we report the first case of necrolytic acral erythema from Asia and also describe good therapeutic response to topical tacrolimus ointment.

Anti-HCV reactive blood donors: clinical and epidemiological factors associated with false-reactive results

BACKGROUND

In certain clinical settings, false-reactive anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) results are rare because the majority of persons being tested have evidence of liver disease and the specificity of the screening assays is high. However, among healthy populations, such as blood donors, mainly in regions with a low prevalence of HCV infection, this situation does occur. In this study, we sought to assess clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of blood donors with false-reactive anti-HCV screening tests.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 537 anti-HCV reactive blood donors referred to a tertiary care centre for liver diseases.

RESULTS

The mean age was 36.5+/-11.2 years and 71.8% were men. Blood donors of older age (P=0.010), history of alcohol abuse (P=0.039), past transfusion (P<0.001), intravenous drug use (P<0.001), and with antibody against core antigen of hepatitis B virus reactivity (P=0.003) were less likely to have a false-reactive anti-HCV result. By multivariate analysis, only the absence of parenteral risk factors (prior transfusion and intravenous drug use) was independently associated with false-reactive anti-HCV tests.

CONCLUSION

Blood donors with reactive anti-HCV screening tests with no risk factors for parenterally acquired HCV infection are more likely to present with false-reactive results.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Pakistan: prevalence and risk factors

BACKGROUND

Pakistan carries one of the world's highest burdens of chronic hepatitis and mortality due to liver failure and hepatocellular carcinomas. However, national level estimates of the prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis B and hepatitis C are currently not available.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical and public health literature over a 13-year period (January 1994-September 2007) to estimate the prevalence of active hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C in Pakistan, analyzing data separately for the general and high-risk populations and for each of the four provinces. We included 84 publications with 139 studies (42 studies had two or more sub-studies).

RESULTS

Methodological differences in studies made it inappropriate to conduct a formal meta-analysis to determine accurate national prevalence estimates, but we estimated the likely range of prevalence in different population sub-groups. A weighted average of hepatitis B antigen prevalence in pediatric populations was 2.4% (range 1.7-5.5%) and for hepatitis C antibody was 2.1% (range 0.4-5.4%). A weighted average of hepatitis B antigen prevalence among healthy adults (blood donors and non-donors) was 2.4% (range 1.4-11.0%) and for hepatitis C antibody was 3.0% (range 0.3-31.9%). Rates in the high-risk subgroups were far higher.

CONCLUSIONS

Data suggest a moderate to high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in different areas of Pakistan. The published literature on the modes of transmission of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Pakistan implicate contaminated needle use in medical care and drug abuse and unsafe blood and blood product transfusion as the major causal factors.

Factors influencing Hepatitis C virus sero-prevalence among blood donors in north west Pakistan

Hepatitis C virus infection is a major health problem worldwide. The current study estimated seroprevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and evaluated associated factors among volunteer blood donors of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Of 1,131 volunteer blood donors enrolled, 46 (4.1%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that positive donors were more likely to be 27-32 years old or >32 years old, have had 1-2 injections or >2 injections in the past year, or 1-5 intravenous (IV) drips or >5 I/V drips in the past 5 years. Positive donors had a family history of jaundice and were more likely to have been shaved (facial and armpit) by barbers. There was high prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among blood donors of the NWFP. Public awareness programs should target the identified risk factors to prevent HCV transmission. We highlight the weakness of the health care system for blood donation, as it does not offer any record management for donors.

Anti-hepatitis C virus-positive blood donors: are women any different?

We sought to assess clinical, epidemiological, biochemical, serological and histological characteristics of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive female blood donors and compare them with men. As women are frequently the minority among blood donors, studies evaluating this population usually reflect characteristics of male gender. This retrospective study included 380 blood donors with confirmed positive anti-HCV. The mean age was 36.9 +/- 11.3 years and 33.2% were women. Compared with men, female donors showed higher prevalence of prior transfusion of blood products (P = 0.031) and lower prevalence of intravenous drug use (P = 0.001) and alcohol abuse (P < 0.001). Women exhibited lower medians of alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.001) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (P < 0.001). They also showed higher platelet count (P < 0.001) and prothrombin activity (P = 0.049), and a lower frequency of antibody against core antigen of hepatitis B virus (anti-HBc) positivity (P = 0.032). A higher proportion of spontaneous viral clearance (P = 0.001) and a lower frequency of viraemia (P < 0.001) were observed among women. On liver biopsy, women had lower prevalence of fibrosis stage > or = 2. Multivariate analysis identified age (OR = 1.050, 95% CI: 1.019-1.081, P = 0.001) and anti-HBc positivity (OR = 2.184, 95% CI: 1.010-4.722, P = 0.047) as independent predictors of significant fibrosis. Female blood donors presented higher prevalence of spontaneous viral clearance as well as biochemical and histological evidence of less advanced liver disease. These findings could be because of intrinsic characteristics of female gender or secondary to associated factors such as younger age or anti-HBc positivity.

Temporal trends in hepatitis B and C infection in family blood donors from interior Sindh, Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections are a serious global and national public health problem. Earlier studies have reported increasing rates of hepatitis infection in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas. Pakistan has no active surveillance program to monitor trends of these infections. The objective of this study was to verify this trend in blood donors from the rural Sindh area of the country.

METHODS

The study analysed the data of blood donors of interior Sindh who donated blood at JPMC blood bank from January 1, 2004 to September 15, 2007. HBsAg status was determined by using HBsAg Serodia kit and antibodies to HCV using the Detect HCV V.3 Kit. Samples repeatedly reactive for HBsAg or anti-HCV were considered positive for HBV or HCV infection respectively.

RESULTS

The overall seroprevalence of HBV infection among donors was 6.2 % (95% CI 5.5%-6.9%) and did not change significantly over the study period. Overall seroprevalence of HBV infection in literate blood donors was 5.7 %(95% CI 4.7%-6.8%). Prevalence decreased significantly in this group over the study period (p = 0.05). No other significant trends in seroprevalence of HBV infection were seen in the stratified analyses. The overall seroprevalence of HCV among donors was 7.5% (95% CI 6.8%-8.3%) and increased significantly over the study period from 7.2% (95% CI 5.8%-8.7%) in 2004 to 8.9% (95% CI 7.4%-10.6%) in 2007 (p = 0.02). Significant increase in seroprevalence was particularly seen in literate (p = 0.03), non-first time (p = 0.01) and Sindhi speaking (p = 0.01) donors.

CONCLUSION

Our study finds a steady increase in the prevalence of HCV infection in blood donors from interior Sindh between 2004 and 2007. On the contrary, decreasing prevalence of HBV was found, particularly in literate blood donors. There may be a need to have rural community-based epidemiological studies to identify the determinants of the spread of HCV infection and also those that are limiting the spread of HBV infection particularly in the literate blood donor population.

Case-control study of risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in hospitals of Karachi-Pakistan

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women seeking antenatal care in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS

We enrolled 119 cases and 238 controls. Cases were enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA III) positive pregnant women for antibodies to HCV; controls were anti-HCV ELISA negative pregnant women.

RESULTS

The mean age of study subjects was 26 years (SD 5) ranging from 15 to 50 years. The mean number of pregnancies for cases was 4 (SD 3) and for controls was 3 (SD 2). Among cases an average number of injections in any month was 40%, history of hospitalization was 61% and household contact with jaundice or hepatitis was 35%. In the final multivariable logistic regression model, five or more gestations (aOR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.08-3.33), > or =1 injection (aOR = 2.33; 95% CI = 1.38-3.91) per month, hospitalization (aOR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.01-2.99) and household contact with jaundice/hepatitis (aOR = 3.32; 95% CI = 1.89-5.83) were independently associated with HCV.

CONCLUSION

Iatrogenic exposure (health care injections, hospitalizations and gestations) is the major risk factor for transmission of HCV among pregnant women.

Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C infection in rural north Vietnam

BACKGROUND

In Vietnam, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among injecting drug users and patients with liver disease is known to be high, yet the magnitude of HCV in the general population, particularly in rural areas, has not been clearly estimated. A community-based study was used to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in a rural population of north Vietnam and explore risk factors associated with HCV acquisition.

METHOD

A community-based viral hepatitis seroprevalence study using a multistage sampling method to recruit participants was undertaken. The study population size (n = 837) had been determined on the basis of estimated hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence. Information on demography and potential risk factors were obtained using face-to-face interviews, and all selected participants were tested for anti-HCV antibody.

RESULTS

HCV prevalence in the study population was 1.0% (95% CI: 0.4%-1.9%). Hospital admission (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 7.19; 95% CI: 1.59-32.53; P = .01) and having tattoos (AOR: 13.37: 95% CI: 1.86-96.15; P = .01) were independent predictors of HCV infection, and farmers were less likely to have HCV infection than those in other occupations (AOR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.84; P = .02).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of HCV infection is low in the general rural population in northern Vietnam. An association between HCV infection and hospital admission and tattoos indicate a need to improve the standards of infection control in healthcare and other settings in this region.

Infectious pathogens in volunteer and replacement blood donors in Pakistan: a ten-year experience

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Infectious pathogens in blood are a potential source of transmission of hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis. The present study reviews the frequency of these infections in volunteer and replacement blood donors in Lahore, Pakistan.

METHODS

Data on serologic testing of blood donors (using commercial assays) were reviewed for the years 1996-2005. Data from 2004 and 2005 were also analyzed with respect to age and type of donor (volunteer versus replacement).

RESULTS

The frequency of serologic evidence of various infectious pathogens ranged as follows: hepatitis B 1.46-2.99%, with a downward trend over time, hepatitis C 3.01-4.99%, HIV 0-0.06%, and syphilis 0.19-0.57%. Amongst replacement donors, younger individuals (<35 years) had lower seroprevalence of hepatitis markers as compared to older persons. Overall, volunteer donors (6.98% of all donors) had the lowest seroprevalence for the diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of hepatitis C amongst Pakistani donors is the highest in the region while that of hepatitis B is declining gradually. Volunteer donors have lower frequencies of tested infections compared to replacement donors. Compared to neighboring India, syphilis occurs with a similar frequency but HIV is seen less commonly.

Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection

Hepatitis C virus remains a large health care burden to the world. Incidence rates across the world fluctuate and are difficult to calculate given the asymptomatic, often latent nature of the disease prior to clinical presentation. Prevalence rates across the world have changed as well with more countries aware of transfusion-related hepatitis C and more and more evidence supporting intravenous drug use as the leading risk factor of spread of the virus. This article reviews current hepatitis C virus prevalence and genotype data and examines the different risk factors associated with the virus.

Epidemiologic study of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in male volunteer blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan

Background

The magnitude of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) varies substantially between the countries. A better understanding of incidence and/ or prevalence of HBV infection and associated risk factors provides insight into the transmission of this infection in the community. The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the prevalence of and to identify the risk factors associated with chronic infection with HBV, as assessed by HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, in asymptomatic volunteer male blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods

Consecutive blood donations made at the two large blood banks between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2002 were assessed to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg positivity. To evaluate the potential risk factors, a case-control study design was implemented; cases (HBsAg positives) and controls (HBsAg negatives), were recruited between October 15, 2001 and March 15, 2002. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered through trained interviewers to collect the data on hypothesized risk factors for HBV infection. Sera were tested for HBsAg using commercially available kits for enzyme linked Immunosorbant assay-III.

Results

HBsAg prevalence in the male volunteer blood donors was 2.0 % (7048/351309). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age and ethnicity, cases were significantly more likely than controls to have received dental treatment from un-qualified dental care provider (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 9.8; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1, 46.1), have received 1–5 injections (adjusted OR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 9.6), more than 5 injections (adjusted OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.4, 12.7) during the last five years or have received injection through a glass syringe (adjusted OR = 9.4; 95% CI: 2.6, 34.3). Injury resulted in bleeding during shaving from barbers (adjusted OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.8) was also significant predictor of HBsAg positivity.

Conclusion

Prevalence of HBsAg positivity in the male volunteer blood donors in Karachi was 2%. Infection control measures in health-care settings including safe injection practices and proper sterilization techniques of medical instruments and education of barbers about the significance of sterilization of their instruments may reduce the burden of HBV infection in this and similar settings. There is also an urgent need of developing locally relevant guidelines for counseling and management of HBsAg positive blood donors.