Varghese Sangeetha Merrin, Koshy Manju, Sheeja A L
Department of Community Medicine, Believers Church Medical College, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.
Department of Biochemistry, Believers Church Medical College, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.
Indian J Community Med. 2020 Apr-Jun;45(2):164-167. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_431_19. Epub 2020 Jun 2.
The sudden increase in the number of Hepatitis B-positive cases between December 2018 and June 2019, in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala in South India, aroused fear both among the government and the people. Some earlier studies postulated that deer flies act as vectors for the transmission of Hepatitis B. Deer flies were found to be in plenty in the concerned area and their bite was also considered part and parcel of everyday life. Hence, it was considered necessary to prove whether deer flies played a role in the transmission of Hepatitis B.
The aim of this study is to investigate the role of deer fly in the transmission of Hepatitis B.
A case-control study design was adopted to test the hypothesis concerning the possible role of deerfly in disease transmission. Cases were those who were picked up by the routine surveillance system (Integrated Disease Surveillance Project) and found to be positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Controls were age- (±5 years) and gender-matched neighborhood individuals negative for HBsAg. Data was collected with the help of a pretested interview schedule.
There was no significant association between bite of deer flies and acquisition of Hepatitis B.
This study concluded proving the deer fly hypothesis to be false.
2018年12月至2019年6月期间，印度南部喀拉拉邦帕塔南蒂塔区乙肝阳性病例数突然增加，这在政府和民众中都引起了恐慌。一些早期研究推测，鹿虻是乙肝传播的媒介。在相关地区发现有大量鹿虻，而且人们认为被鹿虻叮咬是日常生活的一部分。因此，有必要证明鹿虻是否在乙肝传播中起作用。
本研究旨在调查鹿虻在乙肝传播中的作用。
采用病例对照研究设计来检验关于鹿虻在疾病传播中可能作用的假设。病例为那些通过常规监测系统（综合疾病监测项目）筛选出来且乙肝表面抗原（HBsAg）检测呈阳性的人。对照为年龄（±5岁）和性别匹配的、HBsAg检测呈阴性的邻里个体。数据通过预先测试的访谈问卷收集。
鹿虻叮咬与感染乙肝之间没有显著关联。
本研究得出结论，证明鹿虻假说不成立。
