Yusuf Rauf O, Sawyerr Henry O, Adeolu Adedotun T, Habeeb Lateefat M, Abolayo Tawakalitu T
Department of Environmental Health Science, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria.
J Health Pollut. 2018 Sep 10;8(19):180914. doi: 10.5696/2156-9614-8.19.180914. eCollection 2018 Sep.
Scavengers, due to the nature of their work, are at risk of various occupational hazards while sorting for materials for recycling and sale. They are exposed to blood borne infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from injuries from sharps and contact with discarded materials due to non-compliance with standard precautions.
The present study assessed the prevalence of HBV and compliance with safety precautions among scavengers in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 scavengers (comprised of scavengers dealing with biomedical wastes and those that were not) using structured questionnaires during the first stage of the study and a second testing stage. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0 for descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of significance.
The prevalence of HBV infection among the scavengers was found to be 17.4%, indicating that scavengers are at high risk of HBV infection. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of HBV among scavengers that handled biomedical wastes and those that did not. The majority of the scavengers (74.2%) did not have knowledge of or use standard precautions such as personal protective equipment (PPE). The level of injuries was considerably high and the treatment of injuries among scavengers illustrated their lack of awareness of the hazards involved in their occupations, as the majority of respondents (51.3%) engaged in self-treatment of occupational injuries.
The probable pathway for virus transmission was waste handling, especially biomedical waste, which is mostly handled with bare hands without standard safety precautions. Vaccination against HBV, proper personal hygiene practices, regular training in occupational safety, monitoring by regulatory agencies and inclusion of scavengers in a mandatory health insurance scheme are recommended to control the risk of HBV infection among scavengers.
Obtained.
This study was approved by the Kwara State Ministry of Health Ethical Review Committee. Permission was also granted by the scrap dealers association through the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency that oversees issues relating to the environment and public health in the state.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
拾荒者因其工作性质，在分拣回收和售卖材料时面临各种职业危害。他们因利器受伤以及未遵守标准预防措施而接触废弃材料，从而面临血源性感染，如感染乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）。
本研究评估了尼日利亚夸拉州伊洛林市拾荒者中HBV的流行情况以及对安全预防措施的遵守情况。
在研究的第一阶段和第二测试阶段，使用结构化问卷对236名拾荒者（包括处理生物医学废物的拾荒者和不处理生物医学废物的拾荒者）进行了横断面研究。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）20.0版对数据进行分析，以进行描述性和推断性统计，显著性水平为5%。
发现拾荒者中HBV感染率为17.4%，这表明拾荒者面临较高的HBV感染风险。处理生物医学废物的拾荒者和未处理生物医学废物的拾荒者之间HBV流行率存在显著差异。大多数拾荒者（74.2%）不了解或未使用个人防护设备（PPE）等标准预防措施。受伤程度相当高，拾荒者对受伤的处理表明他们对职业中所涉及的危害缺乏认识，因为大多数受访者（51.3%）对职业伤害进行自我治疗。
病毒传播的可能途径是废物处理，尤其是生物医学废物，这些废物大多在没有标准安全预防措施的情况下徒手处理。建议接种HBV疫苗、养成良好的个人卫生习惯、定期进行职业安全培训、由监管机构进行监测以及将拾荒者纳入强制性健康保险计划，以控制拾荒者中HBV感染的风险。
已获得。
本研究获得了夸拉州卫生部伦理审查委员会的批准。废品经销商协会也通过夸拉州环境保护局给予了许可，该局负责监督该州与环境和公共卫生相关的问题。
作者声明不存在相互竞争的财务利益。
