Epidemiology and Infection

Table of Contents - 2000 - Volume 124, Issue 01  


Prevalence of serum antibodies against bloodborne and sexually transmitted agents in selected groups in Somalia

Y. A. NUR a1a2, J. GROEN a1c1, A. M. ELMI a2, A. OTT a1a3 and A. D. M. E. OSTERHAUS a1
a1 Institute of Virology, WHO Collaborating Center of Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever viruses, Reference and Research, University Hospital Rotterdam, Dr Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
a2 Benadir Emergency Hospital and Blood Bank, Mogadishu, Somalia
a3 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract

Somalia has suffered from a civil war during the last 10 years. In this period the use of whole blood has increased at least twofold in Mogadishu, Somalia compared with pre-war. Screening possibilities are limited. Recent data concerning the prevalence of infections with blood-borne and sexually transmitted agents are not available from this country. To investigate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1/2) and other blood-borne or sexually transmitted agents we tested a total of 256 serum samples collected in the summer of 1995 from blood donors, hospitalized children and adults in Mogadishu. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) carrier rate was 19·1%, 5·6% and 21·3% among blood donors, hospitalized children and hospitalized adults, respectively. However, no children under 2 years of age were HbsAg positive. The overall presence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) was 2·4% (6/256). In blood donors this was 0·6% (1/157). In none of the samples tested, antibodies against HIV 1 and 2 or human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV I and II) were detected. Our results indicate that, during the civil war in Somalia, no evidence of an increase of HIV infections was found. Our findings indicate that preventive measures in Somalia should focus mainly on prevention of HBV-infections. HBV-vaccine could be administered within the framework of the expanded programme on immunization, as none of the children less than 2 years of age were HbsAg positive.

(Accepted August 23 1999)


Correspondence:
c1 Author for correspondence.

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