TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in urban ghettos of twin cities
AU - Satti, Rubab
AU - Mustafa, Farah
AU - Khan, Muhammad Imran
AU - Haq, Tahmina Sultana
AU - Khan, Ziad Umar
AU - Zubair, Muhammad
AU - Taslim Ur Rasool, Sahibzada
AU - Azam, Maleeha
AU - Ajmal, Muhammad
AU - Qamar, Raheel
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The present study was undertaken to identify the factors that are involved in the spread of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the low socioeconomic regions of the "twin cities" (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan. For this purpose the presence of HCV RNA was analyzed in 503 blood samples collected at random along with the demographic data. The study revealed an unusually high prevalence of HCV RNA in Rawalpindi (17%) vs. Islamabad (4%). Factors considered to be higher risk for HCV spread did not appear as significant to explain this difference, including blood transfusion, therapeutic injections, dental, hospital, barber, and beauty salon visits, skin piercing, tattooing, and needle stick injuries. These data highlight the urgent need to understand other unknown risk factors operating in poor urban ghettos associated with HCV spread to slow down and/or prevent its epidemic spread worldwide.
AB - The present study was undertaken to identify the factors that are involved in the spread of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the low socioeconomic regions of the "twin cities" (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan. For this purpose the presence of HCV RNA was analyzed in 503 blood samples collected at random along with the demographic data. The study revealed an unusually high prevalence of HCV RNA in Rawalpindi (17%) vs. Islamabad (4%). Factors considered to be higher risk for HCV spread did not appear as significant to explain this difference, including blood transfusion, therapeutic injections, dental, hospital, barber, and beauty salon visits, skin piercing, tattooing, and needle stick injuries. These data highlight the urgent need to understand other unknown risk factors operating in poor urban ghettos associated with HCV spread to slow down and/or prevent its epidemic spread worldwide.
KW - HCV RNA
KW - HCV seroprevalence
KW - HCV transmission
KW - Hepatitis C Virus
KW - Risk factors
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M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84865685396
SN - 0030-9923
VL - 44
SP - 937
EP - 943
JO - Pakistan Journal of Zoology
JF - Pakistan Journal of Zoology
IS - 4
ER -