अमूर्त

Hepatitis C virus infection among school students: Pattern and correlates.

Mahmoud M Hodeib*, Abd Almageed Abul Magd, Fatma S Ewis, Mostafa S Sheemy, Shaimaa A Senosy

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a serious health issue. To estimate the prevalence of HCV infection among 6 years-18 years of school children in Beni-Suef Governorate, Egypt, and to determine the risk factors for HCV infection.

Methods: This cross sectional study carried out among school children aged 6 years-17 years in Beni- Suef Governorate, using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. All subjects were exposed to third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, then positive cases were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction method.

Results: Forty-three out of the 934 students tested positive for the HCV giving an overall seroprevalence of 4.6%. The multiple logistic regression model revealed that urban residence, blood transfusion, family history of HCV, surgical intervention, and dental procedures as significant risk factors for HCV infection among the participants after adjusting for all other potential risk factors.

Conclusion: The HCV infection among school children living in Beni-Suef Governorate in Egypt was relatively high. Urban residence, history of blood transfusion, family history of HCV, surgical and dental procedures were significant risk factors for HCV infection in Egypt. We highly recommend avoidance of unnecessary blood transfusion and enforcement of infection control guidelines to control HCV infection.