The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in a cohort of immigrants living in Palermo, Sicily. The study was carried out in the period May 2006-June 2010 and recruited a total of 393 patients (59.8% males-median age of 32.6 years). All patients were tested for serological markers of HBV, HCV, and HIV infection. One-hundred thirty-eight (35.1%) individuals did not show any HBV/HCV/HIV serological marker, while 186 (47.3%) were indicative of past or current HBV infection. A total of 42 (10.7%) subjects were HBsAg positive, 59 (15.0%) showed the serological profile "anti-HBc alone", and only 40 (10.1%) were anti-HBs alone. Overall, 22/393 (5.6%) immigrants were anti-HCV positive and 13/327 (4.0%) were infected with HIV. Findings from this study suggest that a suitable screening protocol for the viral blood/sexually transmissible diseases is recommended on entering Italy, and the adoption of health control strategies should also be considered to safeguard the health of the local population.

Tramuto, F., Mazzucco, W., Maida, C.M., Affronti, A., Affronti, M., Montalto, G., et al. (2012). Serological Pattern of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV Infections Among Immigrants in Sicily: Epidemiological Aspects and Implication on Public Health. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH, 37(37), 547-553 [10.1007/s10900-011-9477-0].

Serological Pattern of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV Infections Among Immigrants in Sicily: Epidemiological Aspects and Implication on Public Health

TRAMUTO, Fabio;MAZZUCCO, Walter;MAIDA, Carmelo Massimo;AFFRONTI, Andrea;MONTALTO, Giuseppe;VITALE, Francesco
2012-01-01

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in a cohort of immigrants living in Palermo, Sicily. The study was carried out in the period May 2006-June 2010 and recruited a total of 393 patients (59.8% males-median age of 32.6 years). All patients were tested for serological markers of HBV, HCV, and HIV infection. One-hundred thirty-eight (35.1%) individuals did not show any HBV/HCV/HIV serological marker, while 186 (47.3%) were indicative of past or current HBV infection. A total of 42 (10.7%) subjects were HBsAg positive, 59 (15.0%) showed the serological profile "anti-HBc alone", and only 40 (10.1%) were anti-HBs alone. Overall, 22/393 (5.6%) immigrants were anti-HCV positive and 13/327 (4.0%) were infected with HIV. Findings from this study suggest that a suitable screening protocol for the viral blood/sexually transmissible diseases is recommended on entering Italy, and the adoption of health control strategies should also be considered to safeguard the health of the local population.
2012
Tramuto, F., Mazzucco, W., Maida, C.M., Affronti, A., Affronti, M., Montalto, G., et al. (2012). Serological Pattern of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV Infections Among Immigrants in Sicily: Epidemiological Aspects and Implication on Public Health. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH, 37(37), 547-553 [10.1007/s10900-011-9477-0].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/64069
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