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Journal of Community Health
Published in: Journal of Community Health 3/2012

01-06-2012 | Original Paper

Serological Pattern of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV Infections Among Immigrants in Sicily: Epidemiological Aspects and Implication on Public Health

Authors: Fabio Tramuto, Walter Mazzucco, Carmelo Massimo Maida, Andrea Affronti, Mario Affronti, Giuseppe Montalto, Francesco Vitale

Published in: Journal of Community Health | Issue 3/2012

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in a cohort of immigrants living in Palermo, Sicily. The study was carried out in the period May 2006–June 2010 and recruited a total of 393 patients (59.8% males—median age of 32.6 years). All patients were tested for serological markers of HBV, HCV, and HIV infection. One-hundred thirty-eight (35.1%) individuals did not show any HBV/HCV/HIV serological marker, while 186 (47.3%) were indicative of past or current HBV infection. A total of 42 (10.7%) subjects were HBsAg positive, 59 (15.0%) showed the serological profile “anti-HBc alone”, and only 40 (10.1%) were anti-HBs alone. Overall, 22/393 (5.6%) immigrants were anti-HCV positive and 13/327 (4.0%) were infected with HIV. Findings from this study suggest that a suitable screening protocol for the viral blood/sexually transmissible diseases is recommended on entering Italy, and the adoption of health control strategies should also be considered to safeguard the health of the local population.
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Metadata
Title
Serological Pattern of Hepatitis B, C, and HIV Infections Among Immigrants in Sicily: Epidemiological Aspects and Implication on Public Health
Authors
Fabio Tramuto
Walter Mazzucco
Carmelo Massimo Maida
Andrea Affronti
Mario Affronti
Giuseppe Montalto
Francesco Vitale
Publication date
01-06-2012
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Community Health / Issue 3/2012
Print ISSN: 0094-5145
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3610
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9477-0

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