Epidemiological Features of Hepatitis A among Children in Hodeidah, Yemen
Published: 2023-02-24
Page: 18-25
Issue: 2023 - Volume 5 [Issue 1]
Basem Momen
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen and Center of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology Studies, Hodeidah University (CTMES-HU), Hodeidah, Yemen in Collaboration with Center of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (CTMID), AL Thawara Public Hospital Authority, Hodeidah, Yemen.
Ahmed Al-Haddad
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen and Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen.
Abdulla Bin Ghouth
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen.
Ekhlas Gazem
Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine Health Sciences, Hodeidah University, Yemen.
Mohammed Amood AL-Kamarany *
Center of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology Studies, Hodeidah University (CTMES-HU), Hodeidah, Yemen in Collaboration with Center of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (CTMID), AL Thawara Public Hospital Authority, Hodeidah, Yemen.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, with approximately 1.5 million cases reported globally each year.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence rate of HAV infection, socio-economic indicators and risk factors in children of primary schools, Hodeidah, Yemen.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted (from January to December 2019) among children at the three public primary schools (Al-Nour, Asma’a Bint Abi Baker and Legislator's) in Al Hawak district, Hodeidah city, Yemen. 422 blood samples were collected from children (7 – 10 years old). HAV was detected by enzyme linkage immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on serum specimens of children. The study was carried out in Center of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (CTMID) of AL-Thawra Public Hospital Authority, Hodeidah, Yemen. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analyses.
Results: The results showed that HAV infection was detected in 22/422 cases (5.21%). HAV infection was represented in the males as 14/22 cases (63.63 %) while in the females it was represented as 8/22 cases (36.36 %). However, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.414). The higher frequency of HAV infection was in children between 7 and 8 years (20/22 cases; 90.90 %) and the lower frequency was in infants between 9 and 10 years (2/22 cases; 9.09 %), with a significant association (p -value = 0.022). On the other hand, major risk factors were recorded that seem to have effect in the transmission of HAV infection. 21/22 cases (95.5%), 1/22 cases (4.5%) of children in primary schools had sewages disposal at home namely general disposal and special disposal respectively. The Knowledge Attitude and Practices (KAP) for prevention of HAV infection in children were assessed, child who close contact with person with HAV infection (17/22 cases; 77.3%), child who do not practice personal hygiene (hand washing) after outside from bathroom (16/22 cases; 72.7%), child who have not special towels (15/22 cases; 68.2%) and child who shares clothes with others (14/22 cases; 63.6%).
Conclusion: This study concluded low HVA infection among children of primary schools in Al- Hawak district, Hodeidah, Yemen. The most risk factors of infection with HAV were close contact, poor sanitary conditions, house structure and crowding in house.
Keywords: Hepatitis A virus, children, primary schools, hodeidah, Yemen
How to Cite
Downloads
References
Franco E, Bagnato B, Marino MG, Meleleo C, Serino L, Zaratti L. Hepatitis B: Epidemiology and prevention in developing countries. World J Hepatol. 2012 Mar 27;4(3):74-80. DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v4.i3.74. PMID: 22489259; PMCID: PMC3321493.
Gossner CM, Severi E, Danielsson N, Hutin Y, Coulombier D. Changing hepatitis A epidemiology in the European Union: new challenges and opportunities. Euro Surveill. 2015 Apr 23;20(16): 21101. DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es2015.20.16.21101. Erratum in: Euro Surveill. 2015;20(27). pii: 21180. PMID: 25953274.
Tahaei SM, Mohebbi SR, Zali MR. Enteric hepatitis viruses. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2012 Winter;5(1):7-15. PMID: 24834192; PMCID: PMC4017450.
Koroglu M, Jacobsen KH, Demiray T, Ozbek A, Erkorkmaz U, Altindis M. Socioeconomic indicators are strong predictors of hepatitis A seroprevalence rates in the Middle East and North Africa. J Infect Public Health. 2017 Sep-Oct; 10(5):513-517. DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2016.09.020. Epub 2017 Feb 2. PMID: 28162965.
Havelaar AH, Kirk MD, Torgerson PR, Gibb HJ, Hald T, Lake RJ, Praet N, Bellinger DC, de Silva NR, Gargouri N, Speybroeck N, Cawthorne A, Mathers C, Stein C, Angulo FJ, Devleesschauwer B. World Health Organization Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group. World Health Organization Global Estimates and Regional Comparisons of the Burden of Foodborne Disease in 2010. PLoS Med. 2015 Dec 3;12(12):e1001923. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001923. PMID: 26633896; PMCID: PMC4668832.
Omarova MN, Orakbay L. Zh, Shuratov I. Kh, Dzhumagalieva BA, Akdauletova MG, Aliaskarova OS. Epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis a in some regions of Kazakhstan with different degrees of the severity of ecological disaster. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2016;6(3):225-227.
World Health Organization. The global prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection and susceptibility: a systematic review. World Health Organization; 2010. Available:https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/70180 .
Foster MA, Hofmeister MG, Kupronis BA, et al. Increase in hepatitis a virus infections — United States, 2013–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:413–415.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6818a2
Wasley A, Fiore A, Bell BP. Hepatitis A in the era of vaccination. Epidemiol Rev. 2006;28:101-11.
DOI: 10.1093/epirev/mxj012. Epub 2006 Jun 14. PMID: 16775039.
Jacobsen KH, Wiersma ST. Hepatitis A virus seroprevalence by age and world region, 1990 and 2005. Vaccine. 2010 Sep 24;28(41):6653-7.
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.08.037. Epub 2010 Aug 17. PMID: 20723630.
Ghasemian A. Prevalence of hepatitis A across various countries in the Middle East, African and Eastern European countries. Caspian J Intern Med. 2016 Fall;7(4):302-303. PMID: 27999652; PMCID: PMC5153526.
Social Fund for Development, Education Survey, Hodeidah governorate, Yemen; 2013.
Alahdal, M., Al-Shabi, J., Ogaili, M., Abdullah, Q. Y., Alghalibi, S., Jumaan, A. O., & AL-Kamarany, M. A. Detection of Dengue Fever Virus Serotype – 4 by using One-Step Real-Time RT-PCR in Hodeidah, Yemen. Microbiology Research Journal International, 2016 May ; 14(6), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.9734/BMRJ/2016/24380
Al-Areeqi, A., Alghalibi, S., Yusuf, Q., Al-Masrafi, I., & Al-Kamarany, M. A. Epidemiological Characteristic of Malaria Coinfected with Dengue Fever in Hodeidah, Yemen. International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health, 2020 February ; 40(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijtdh/2019/v40i330230
Bin Ghouth A, AL–Kamarany M, Suhail K, El-Absy E, Abdulkarim T, Majam M, Khabaz Y, Faqeeh W, Al-Mahwety W, Abu Talib W, Al-Dhahwi A, Hijam M, Al-Ahdal, M, Muamer H, Bokhamy S. Community Awareness about Diphtheria Prevention and Control in Hodeidah, Yemen 2018. International Journal of Tropical Disease & Health. 2018 May; 30(3):1-7. Available:https://doi.org/10.9734/IJTDH/2018/40750
Available:https://journalijtdh.com/index.php/IJTDH/article/view/20743
Al Sheebani S, Al-Kamarany MA, Ghouth AB, Kamal A, Alaq M. Acute renal failure induced by cholera: outbreak of Hodeidah, Yemen, 2017. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research. 2018 July ;5(8):188–192.
Poddar U, Thapa BR, Prasad A, Singh K. Changing spectrum of sporadic acute viral hepatitis in Indian children. J Trop Pediatr. 2002 Aug;48(4):210-3. DOI: 10.1093/tropej/48.4.210. PMID: 12200981.
Diagnostic Automation/Cortez Diagnostics, California, USA; 1991.
Bawazir AA, Hart CA, Sallam TA, Parry CM, Beeching NJ, Cuevas LE. Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses in Aden, Yemen. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Dec; 104(12):801-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2010.08.007. Epub 2010 Sep 9. PMID: 20828772.
Al Rashed RS. Prevalence of hepatitis A virus among Saudi Arabian children: A community-based study. Ann Saudi Med. 1997 Mar;17(2):200-3. DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.1997.200. PMID: 17377430.
Aliyu I. Hepatitis A virus infection among primary school pupils in Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci. 2015;4(4):948-954.
Gomes MA, Ferreira Ade S, da Silva AA, de Souza ER. Hepatitis A: seroprevalence and associated factors among schoolchildren of São Luís (MA), Brazil. Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2011 Dec;14(4):548-55.
English, Portuguese. PMID: 22218654.
Salama II, Samy SM, Shaaban FA, Hassanin AI, Abou Ismail LA. Seroprevalence of hepatitis A among children of different socioeconomic status in Cairo. EMHJ - Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2007;13(6):1256-1264. Available:https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/117376
Arguedas MR, Fallon MB. Hepatitis A. Curr Treat Options Gastroenterol. 2004 Dec; 7(6):443-450. DOI: 10.1007/s11938-004-0003-7. PMID: 15527710.
Fix AD, Martin OS, Gallicchio L, Vial PA, Lagos R. Age-specific prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A in Santiago,Chile: risk factors and shift in age of infection among children and young adults. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2002 May;66(5):628-32. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2002.66.628. PMID: 12201603.
Escobedo-Meléndez G, Fierro NA, Roman S, et al. Prevalence of hepatitis A, B and C serological markers in children from western Mexico. Ann Hepatol. 2012;11(2): 194-201.
Vancelik S, Guraksin A, Alp H. Hepatitis A seroepidemiology in Eastern Turkey. East Afr Med J. 2006 Feb; 83(2):86-90. DOI: 10.4314/eamj.v83i2.9393. PMID: 16708879.
Khalil M, Al-Mazrou Y, Al-Jeffri M, Al-Howasi M. Childhood epidemiology of hepatitis A virus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 1998 Jan-Feb;18(1):18-21. DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.1998.18. PMID: 17341909.