Daw Mohamed A, El-Bouzedi Abdallah, Ahmed Mohamed O, Dau Aghnyia A, Agnan Mohamed M
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tripoli University, P.O. Box 82668, Tripoli, Libya.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Biotechnology, Tripoli University, P.O. Box 82668, Tripoli, Libya.
ScientificWorldJournal. 2016;2016:7370524. doi: 10.1155/2016/7370524. Epub 2016 Aug 16.
Hepatitis C virus is a major public health threat associated with serious clinical consequences worldwide. North Africa is a unique region composed of seven countries that vary considerably in the predisposing factors to microbial diseases both historically and at the present time. The dynamics of HCV in the region are not well documented. The data are both limited and controversial in most of the countries in the region. In North Africa, the epidemiology of HCV is disparate and understanding it has been hampered by regional "epidemiological homogeneity" concepts. As the dynamics of HCV vary from country to country, context-specific research is needed. In this review, we assess studies performed in each country in the general populations as well as among blood donors and groups exposed to the HCV infection. The reported prevalence of HCV ranges from 0.6% to 8.4% in the Maghreb countries and is predominated by genotype 1. In the Nile valley region, it ranges from 2.2% to 18.9% and is dominated by genotype 4. In North African countries, HCV seems to be a serious problem that is driven by different vectors even in different geographical locations within the same country. Efforts should be combined at both the national and regional levels to implement efficient preventive and treatment strategies.
丙型肝炎病毒是一种重大的公共卫生威胁，在全球范围内会引发严重的临床后果。北非是一个独特的地区，由七个国家组成，这些国家在历史上和当前微生物疾病的诱发因素方面存在很大差异。该地区丙型肝炎病毒的动态情况记录不足。该地区大多数国家的数据既有限又存在争议。在北非，丙型肝炎病毒的流行病学情况各不相同，而“区域流行病学同质性”概念阻碍了对其的理解。由于丙型肝炎病毒的动态情况因国家而异，因此需要开展针对具体情况的研究。在本综述中，我们评估了在每个国家的普通人群以及献血者和接触丙型肝炎病毒感染人群中开展的研究。在马格里布国家，报告的丙型肝炎病毒流行率在0.6%至8.4%之间，以1型基因型为主。在尼罗河流域地区，流行率在2.2%至18.9%之间，以4型基因型为主。在北非国家，即使在同一个国家的不同地理位置，丙型肝炎病毒似乎也是一个由不同传播媒介驱动的严重问题。应在国家和区域层面共同努力，实施有效的预防和治疗策略。
