Abstract
Background: Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, not only in South Africa, but in many other countries. In South Africa, there is a lack of data regarding the true incidence of hepatitis A, and even fewer data regarding hepatitis A cases requiring hospitalisation. In the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in particular, there is a paucity of published data that could be used to guide public health officials. An analysis of all the laboratory-confirmed cases in the area over a period of time may help to better describe the extent of the problem.Methods: This was a retrospective study analysing the laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis A in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Sarah Baartman districts of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa for the three-year period from 2015 to 2017.Results: A total of 194 laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis A were identified for the three-year period from 2015 to 2017. Of these, 138 (71%) cases were children 16 years old or younger, with adults accounting for 56 cases (29%). There was no overall seasonality associated with laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis A.Conclusions: Hepatitis A is a serious problem in the Eastern Cape region. More studies are needed to determine the exact cause of the continuing epidemic.
Highlights
Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, in South Africa, but in many other countries.[1,2] Endemicity is low in industrialised countries, and high in resource-poor countries,[2] with the latter often having complicated epidemiological patterns with variation in incidence across different socioeconomic groups and provinces,[1] which are closely related to hygiene and sanitary conditions.[3]The virus is transmitted through the faecal–oral route, mostly through person-to-person spread
A seroprevalence study from South Africa in 1999 showed that 48.3% of children from lower socio-economic groups at 3–5 years of age were seropositive for anti-hepatitis A IgG antibodies
There is a paucity of data regarding the true incidence of hepatitis A in this region
Summary
Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, in South Africa, but in many other countries.[1,2] Endemicity is low in industrialised countries, and high in resource-poor countries,[2] with the latter often having complicated epidemiological patterns with variation in incidence across different socioeconomic groups and provinces,[1] which are closely related to hygiene and sanitary conditions.[3]The virus is transmitted through the faecal–oral route, mostly through person-to-person spread. Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, in South Africa, but in many other countries.[1,2] Endemicity is low in industrialised countries, and high in resource-poor countries,[2] with the latter often having complicated epidemiological patterns with variation in incidence across different socioeconomic groups and provinces,[1] which are closely related to hygiene and sanitary conditions.[3]. Methods: This was a retrospective study analysing the laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis A in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Sarah Baartman districts of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa for the three-year period from 2015 to 2017. Results: A total of 194 laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatitis A were identified for the three-year period from 2015 to 2017. More studies are needed to determine the exact cause of the continuing epidemic
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