Hepatitis C among Hospital Personnel and Patients at a General Hospital in Kafr Elsheikh Governorate, Egypt

Background: To fight against hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic in Egypt, it is crucial to understand the actual HCV situation. Hospitals have been accused as being an epicenter for sustained HCV spread in Egypt. Health care workers (HCWs) as well as patients admitted to hospitals are at special risk of acquiring HCV infection compared to the general population. Aim: To compare between the occurrence of hepatitis C in hospital personnel and patients at a general hospital in Kafr Elsheikh Governorate with reference to associated risk factors among both groups. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January through December 2018 on 203 hospital personnel and 197 patients admitted to Desouk General Hospital in Kafr Elsheikh Governorate, Egypt. A questionnaire for socio-demographic characteristics and HCV risk factors was filled for each participant. For HCWs, questions on occupational exposure were added. A blood sample was withdrawn from each participant to be tested for anti-HCV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Results: The occurrence of anti-HCV among patients was significantly higher than among hospital personnel (18.8% vs 9.4%). Old age, low level of education, rural residence and living in bad housing conditions were significantly associated with anti-HCV positivity among both hospital personnel and patients. However, other parameters as male sex, insufficient income, illicit drug use (IDU), hemodialysis, blood transfusion, hospital admission and receiving any drug by injection or infusion were significant risk parameters for anti-HCV positivity among patients only. Conclusion: The occurrence of HCV in Egypt was substantially high among studied patients. Thus, continuous monitoring and screening of Egyptians are recommended especially after the implementation of the initiative of 100 Million Healthy Lives for HCV control.