HBV and HCV infection among non-European Union immigrants in North-East Italy

Autor: Renzo Trivello, T. Menegon, Maria Chiaramonte, Vincenzo Baldo, R. Malatesta, A. Pupo
Rok vydání: 1998
Předmět:
Zdroj: Epidemiology and Infection. 121:179-183
ISSN: 1469-4409
0950-2688
DOI: 10.1017/s0950268898001034
Popis: The status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among non-European Union (non-EU) immigrants in North-East Italy was evaluated. Among the 1683 individuals tested the prevalence of HBsAg was 8·9% (150 subjects) and of HBV antibodies (anti-HBc with/without anti-HBs) was 38·9% (654 subjects). The distribution of HBV serological markers showed significant differences according to region of origin; the highest prevalence of infection (76·9%) and carriage (16·1%) was found in immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Among the 933 individuals screened for HCV infection, prevalence of antibody was much lower (0·9%) than that observed in the Italian general population (3·2–12·6%). The large number of HBV carriers among immigrants could increase the number of new adult infections due to life-style habits or professional risks in the host population. In contrast, the risk of HCV spread from non-EU immigrants is very low.
Databáze: OpenAIRE