The Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Municipal Waste Collectors in Southwest of Iran

Jamal Sarvari; Negar Joharinia; Alireza Shiri; Atefeh Vali; Farshid Beigzadeh; Mohammad Ali Davarpanah; Amir Atapour; Rohollah Khoshbakht; Omid Jaberi; Seyed Younes Hosseini

doi:10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_238_22

The Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Municipal Waste Collectors in Southwest of Iran

Indian J Occup Environ Med. 2023 Apr-Jun;27(2):172-176. doi: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_238_22. Epub 2023 Jul 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
² Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
³ Shiraz HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁴ Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁵ Health, Safety and Environment Unit, Shiraz Waste Management Organization, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serological markers among waste collectors in the municipality of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran, 2018.

Settings and design: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 385 waste collectors from all 10 districts of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to gather occupational and demographic information as well as awareness about viral hepatitis.

Methods and material: Their blood samples were collected, and the sera were investigated for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs antibody, and anti-HCV antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: All the participants were men with a mean age of 41 ± 8 years. Out of 385 participants, 6 (1.5%) subjects were positive for HBsAg, indicative of HBV infection. Moreover, 38 (9.9%) had a protective level of anti-HBs antibodies, while more than 90% had a low level of anti-HBs antibodies. All participants were negative for HCV antibodies.

Conclusion: According to these findings, evaluation of HBsAg and anti-HBs levels is recommended in the healthy program of waste collector workers (WCWs). However, this occupation might not be a risk factor for the acquisition of HBV and especially HCV infections.

Keywords: HBV; HCV; prevalence; waste collector worker.