Department of Zoology, College of Arts and Sciences, Benghazi University, Al Kufra, Libya.
Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2023 Aug;25(4):882-888. doi: 10.1007/s10903-022-01448-z. Epub 2023 Jan 14.
Viral hepatitis is a global health care challenge due to its worldwide distribution, chronic persistence, complications, and high prevalence with unchecked conditions in areas like sub-Saharan Africa. A high proportion of asymptomatic infections allows serious complications and poses infection risk to destination populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of both HBV and HCV among 3248 migrants from different parts of sub-Saharan Africa newly arrived at Kufra, Libya, a remote agricultural North African city. All these migrants were required by the Libyan authorities to undergo a complete medical check-up for different purposes such as joining new jobs, and obtaining licenses for trade and commerce. UAT sera from 3248 migrants, aged 18-53 years, attending the Al Kufra city hospital from January 01 to December 31, 2019, were screened for HBsAg and anti-HCV antibody by rapid tests and positive samples were further tested by ELISA method. The results showed that 761/3248 (23.4%) of the migrants were positive for HBV and 1014/3248 (31.2%) were positive for HCV. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa carry high rates of HBV and HCV infection. This suggests the importance of increased attention to actions to deal with findings among positive migrants, and for awareness about risks of transmission to the local population. Study results indicate the value of routine migrant monitoring, the need for awareness in destination country health authorities, and the potential for impact on migrant destination populations.
病毒性肝炎是一项全球性的医疗保健挑战，因为它在全球范围内分布广泛、慢性持续存在、并发症多，且在撒哈拉以南非洲等地区的未受控制的情况下患病率很高。大量无症状感染允许严重的并发症，并对目的地人群构成感染风险。本研究旨在确定 3248 名来自撒哈拉以南非洲不同地区的移民中乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）和丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）的流行率，这些移民最近抵达利比亚的库夫拉，这是一个位于北非的偏远农业城市。利比亚当局要求所有这些移民出于不同目的（如加入新工作和获得贸易和商业许可证）进行全面体检。对 2019 年 1 月 1 日至 12 月 31 日期间在库夫拉市医院就诊的 3248 名年龄在 18-53 岁的移民的 UAT 血清进行了 HBsAg 和抗 HCV 抗体的快速检测，阳性样本进一步用 ELISA 方法进行检测。结果显示，3248 名移民中有 761 名（23.4%）对 HBV 呈阳性，1014 名（31.2%）对 HCV 呈阳性。来自撒哈拉以南非洲的移民携带高比率的 HBV 和 HCV 感染。这表明，需要加强对阳性移民采取行动的关注，并提高对当地人群传播风险的认识。研究结果表明，常规移民监测具有重要价值，目的地国家卫生当局需要提高认识，对移民目的地人群也可能产生影响。
