الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health burden in Egypt, where it bears the highest prevalence rate in the world. The Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) measured antibody prevalence among the adult population aged 15–59 years at 14.7% in 2009 and at 10.0% in 2015—substantially higher than global levels. To attend to this challenge, Egypt developed a national strategy for HCV control and established HCV prevention and treatment programs. Egypt launched an ambitious national HCV treatment program aiming to treat over 250,000 chronically infected individuals per year, with the goal of achieving a national chronic infection prevalence of <2% by 2025. Despite this progress, existing evidence suggests ongoing HCV transmission in Egypt, with higher incidence levels relative to other countries. This is why the aim of the present study was:
To estimate HCV prevalence among hospital personnel and patients by detecting HCV antibodies and to assess risk factors associated with HCV infection.
The current cross sectional study was carried out on 400 hospital personnel and patients attending Desouk General Hospital in KafrElsheikhGovernorate. A verbal consent was obtained from all the studied cases. Three ml of blood were collected aseptically from every individual included in the study. Serum was separated, stored at -20oC for detection of HCV antibodies by ELISA test according to manufacturer’s instructions.
The main results are summarized as follow:
1- Among the 400 hospital personnel and patients, 56(14%) were positive for HCV antibodies. Positive HCV individuals were 19 (9.4%) out of the 203 hospital personnel and 37(18.8%) out of the 197 general population.
2- Anti HCV was positive in 39 (19.1%) males and 17 (8.7%) females with statistical significant difference (p=0.003).
3. The age of the 400 individuals included in the study ranged from 20-71 years with a mean of 34.91 ± 7.32 years. The mean age was higher among those positive for anti HCV (39.27 ± 8.41). The results were statistically significant (p <0.001).
4. Among 400 studied subjects, HCV positivity was higher among general population than among workers and nurses (18.5%, 18.2%, 15.1%), respectively compared to other categories and these results were statistically significant.
5. HCV was more among people occupying old rent apartments and those in shared housing (27.8% and 21.5%) compared to others. The difference was statistically significant. The same was observed for those in rural areas compared to urban areas (23.6%, 7.5%) and difference was statistically significant.
6. Considering the marital status positivity was higher among married (15%) than other categories with non-statistical difference.
7. Considering income HCV positivity was more in those with insufficient income (31.3%) compared to others and difference was statistically significant.
8. According to the level of education, HCV positivity was higher among illiterate, those with primary education and who can just read and write (100%, 42.9%, and 31.3%) respectively compared to other categories and these figures were statistically significant.
9. In the present study the risk factors of developing HCV with statistically significant difference included history of IDU, hemodialysis, HCV positive partner, history of blood transfusion, hospital admission, drug infusion or injection, bad social practice (48.1%, 45.5%, 19.7%, 25.6%, 20.8%, 17.5% and 18.2%) respectively.
Conclusions of the study:
1. HCV was more among general population compared to HCW.
2. Low socio economic conditions, poor educational level, bad social practice, addiction are important factors of developing HCV infection.
Recommendations:
1. Screening of Egyptian people specially those at risk for developing HCVinfection with provision of appropriate measures to those testing positive.
2. Health education programs about HCV modes of transmission, high-risk behaviors and methods of prevention should be instituted at medical care fields as well as among general population to raise awareness (HCV awareness programs).