Open AccessEndemic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in a Seaboard Village of Southwestern Taiwan
Author(s) -
ChiJane Wang,
YuanJen Chang,
Li Ly Yeh,
Ting Tung Chang
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the journal of nursing research/the journal of nursing research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1948-965X
pISSN - 1682-3141
DOI - 10.1097/01.jnr.0000347605.83671.17
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , medicine , hepatitis c virus , transmission (telecommunications) , odds ratio , confidence interval , hepatitis c , multivariate analysis , epidemiology , virology , antibody , immunology , virus , serology , electrical engineering , engineering
This study investigated the rate of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection and identified the risk factors associated with a HCV infection at Ma-Sha-Gou, a seaboard village in southwestern Taiwan. In total, 240 subjects were sampled and stratified according to age and sex from 1,200 residents aged 20-64 years old. HCV-specific antibodies (anti-HCV Ab) in blood specimens were tested for HCV seropositive by the third-generation HCV ELISA system. The subjects, later identified as 152 seropositive and 88 seronegative, were selected for analysis of the correlates of HCV infection. They were interviewed to explore a variety of possible risk factors for HCV infection with a structured questionnaire. The results showed that the anti-HCV age-adjusted seroprevalence was 55.8%. Needle injection was significant to the increased anti-HCV seroprevalence, with multivariate age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) of 1.9 and 1.2-3.9 respectively. This study identifies Ma-Sha-Gou as an endemic area of HCV infection, in which needle injection from any medical activity was a possible transmission pathway in the village, and suggests the health authorities/community health nurses should give the residents a comprehensive community-based education program to interrupt HCV transmission.