Prevalence of hepatitis C among dock workers

Although hepatitis C is still an important issue in public health, with near 400 thousand deaths per year, due to complications related to the disease, the World health organization reduced its estimation of hepatitis C general prevalence from 270 million in 1999 to 71 million in 2017.¹ There is a conclusion that the higher prevalence is occurring in more vulnerable, high risk, populations, with that comes the logical deduction that it is necessary to actively search for these groups. We did not find in the global medical literature any evaluation of HCV on dockworkers. We conducted a cross sectional study in Santos’s Harbor, Brazil, the biggest sea harbor in the south hemisphere, in extension and in financial movement. We used a quick test (HCV ELISA TEST BIOEASY) that presents 99.9% specificity and 91% sensitivity,² supplied by Brazil’s Health Ministry. The blood, collected by finger pricking, was taken from 190 randomly chosen male dockworkers, with ages from 18 years to 60 years, all of which had previously agreed an Informed and Agreed Consent form and to answer questions concerning HCV demographic and risk factors data, gathering 8 seropositive samples (4.21%). From these samples, three were injectable drug users and went frequently to a region near the docks known as an area for sex professionals and drug users. The HCV prevalence reported was higher than the estimated for the general population,^3,4,5 suggesting that dockworkers are a HCV higher risk community due to their surroundings, known to be promiscuous. New studies need to further evaluate this probable risk group.

• Authors' contribution

  1. Roberto Focaccia: advisor, conception and design of the objectives to search, review and final approval of the version to be published.

  2. Adriana Silva de Moraes: Data collection, data tabulation, discussion and final review.

  3. Karla Fabiana Begosso Sampaio da Fonseca Carbonari: Data collection, data tabulation, drafting of results and final review.

  4. Maria Luiza Alessi Ribeiro: conception and design of the objectives to be searched, data collection, data tabulation, editor of methodology, discussion and final review.

  5. Bruna de Souza Quevedo: Data collection, data tabulation, drafting of results and final review.

REFERENCES

• ¹
  WHO Global hepatitis report; 2017-July http://www.who.int/hepatitis/publications/global-hepatitis-report2017/en/ [accessed in 15.08.17].
  » http://www.who.int/hepatitis/publications/global-hepatitis-report2017/en/
• ²
  Scalioni LP. Rapid assessment tests for the diagnosis of infection with hepatitis C. Rio de Janeiro: FIOCRUZ; 2013. Thesis.
• ³
  Focaccia R, da Conceição OJ, Sette H, et al. Estimated prevalence of viral hepatitis in the general population of the Municipality of São Paulo, measured by a serologic survey of a stratified, randomized and residence-based population. Braz J Infect Dis. 1998;2:269-84.
• ⁴
  Sociedade Brasileira de Hepatologia. Relatório do Grupo de Estudo da Sociedade Brasileira de Hepatologia. Epidemiologia da infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C no Brasil. GED. 1999;18:53-8.
• ⁵
  Ministério da Saúde. http://www.aids.gov.br/pt-br/pub/2017/protocolo-clinico-e-diretrizes-terapeuticas-para-hepatite-c-e-coinfeccoes, 2018 [accessed 17.06.18].
  » http://www.aids.gov.br/pt-br/pub/2017/protocolo-clinico-e-diretrizes-terapeuticas-para-hepatite-c-e-coinfeccoes

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Jul-Aug 2018

History

• Received
  9 Apr 2018
• Published
  16 Aug 2018