Hepatitis B and C Viral Infection: Seroprevalence and Associated Factors among Barbers in Sana'a City, Yemen
Authors
Nabil Ahmed Al-Rabeei1, Ali Mohamed Assabri2 and Saber Abdullah Hizam3 1Department of Community Health Nsg, 2Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sana’a University and 3Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen
Objective: The study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B and C viral infection among barbers in Sana'a city, Yemen. Methods: Cross-sectional survey was carried out among males' barbers who were practicing hair cutting/shaving for males' customer only in Sana'a city, Yemen from Nov., 2011 to Oct., 2012. Multistage cluster random sampling technique was used to selected 248 barbers from 10 districts. Results: 4.03% of barbers were HBsAg-positive. On the other hand, anti-HCV/HCV-RNA seropositivity was 0.4%. Significant association between risk factors and being HBV-seropositivity was not found. Observations of barbers’ practices showed that washed their hands before attending each client was practiced by 27%. There were no barber was wear protective clothes or especial gloves. Conclusions: It is essential to promote awareness of these risks among everyone, especially barbers, and client who frequent barber shops.
