The Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Municipal Waste Collectors in Southwest of Iran

• Published in: Indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 172 - 176
• Main Authors: Sarvari, Jamal, Joharinia, Negar, Shiri, Alireza, Vali, Atefeh, Beigzadeh, Farshid, Davarpanah, Mohammad Ali, Atapour, Amir, Khoshbakht, Rohollah, Jaberi, Omid, Hosseini, Seyed Younes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd 01.04.2023; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
• Edition: 2
• Subjects: Antibodies; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; Original; Original Article; Refuse and refuse disposal; Surveys; Viral antibodies; Greece; Iran; prevalence; waste collector worker; HCV; HBV
• ISSN: 0973-2284; 1998-3670
• DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_238_22

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serological markers among waste collectors in the municipality of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran, 2018. Settings and Design: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 385 waste collectors from all 10 districts of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to gather occupational and demographic information as well as awareness about viral hepatitis. Methods and Material: Their blood samples were collected, and the sera were investigated for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs antibody, and anti-HCV antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: All the participants were men with a mean age of 41 ± 8 years. Out of 385 participants, 6 (1.5%) subjects were positive for HBsAg, indicative of HBV infection. Moreover, 38 (9.9%) had a protective level of anti-HBs antibodies, while more than 90% had a low level of anti-HBs antibodies. All participants were negative for HCV antibodies. Conclusion: According to these findings, evaluation of HBsAg and anti-HBs levels is recommended in the healthy program of waste collector workers (WCWs). However, this occupation might not be a risk factor for the acquisition of HBV and especially HCV infections.