Aim: This study determined the prevalence and risk factors associated with hepatitis B and C among the low socioeconomic population. Materials & methods: A total of 1004 participants were screened for hepatitis B/C infection and risk factors from six different localities of Islamabad, Pakistan Results: The prevalence rate of hepatitis B and C was 1 and 4%, respectively. Chi-square test showed hepatitis B/C infection was related with marital status, hepatitis B vaccination, blood recipients and family income. Multivariable analysis showed hepatitis B vaccination, exposure to therapeutic injections, dental visits, exposure to HCV patients and age of participants were independently associated with hepatitis C infection. Conclusion: The risk of hepatitis B/C infection is multifactorial and the population needs to be vaccinated at a larger scale to avoid outbreaks.
Background: Pakistan is bearing the second highest global burden of hepatitis C and B virus, infecting 3-4 % of its overall 22 million population. These infections remain unchecked in most of the cases and such incidences become a continuous source of infection to the healthy population. Maximum efforts for screening, prevalence and surveillance of these viral infections is needed to stem the devastating impact on the underprivileged communities living in the outskirt of major cities. Methods: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B & C and the corresponding risk factors among the low socioeconomic communities of Islamabad. Participants (aged 10-70 years) were recruited from six localities inhabited with people living in underprivileged conditions. Relationship between hepatitis B/C incidence, demographics and risk factors was measured using Pearson's Chi-square test, univariate and multivariate regression analysis. A total of 1004 individuals were enrolled in this study.Results: Out of 1004 individuals, almost 4% were found positive for hepatitis C and 1% for hepatitis B after screening with PCR. Pearson’s Chi-square test showed a strong relationship of hepatitis B/C infection with marital status (p= 0.000), hepatitis B vaccination status (p= 0.000), blood or blood product recipient (p= 0.000), having a tattoo, family income (p= 0.026) and participant age (p= 0.000). Multivariable analysis showed hepatitis B vaccination odds ratio (OR) =5.309 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.812-10.025), population exposed to therapeutic injections four-times/past 6 months OR=4.328 (95% CI 1.319-13.617) dental visit four-time/past six months OR=11.9 (95% CI 3.350-40.098) people having exposure to HCV patients ≥6 times/past six months OR=3.095 (95% CI 1.577-6.074) and age of the participants OR=1.049 (95% CI 1.026-1.072) were independently associated with hepatitis C infection. Conclusions: These findings show that the risk of hepatitis B/C is multifactorial. However, on multivariate analysis, no association was found between hepatitis C incidence and blood donation, blood recipient, nose/ear piercing, barber visit, tattooing, drug abuse, marital status, family income and education status.
he great philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserts, “Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains”. It is a fact, since the very beginning, humans have always been captives in the hands of their cultures, religions, laws, and norms. These constraints always confine human freedom. . Consequently, these ever injustices with humans pushed the philosophers of the 20th century to raise their voices against such injustices which snatch humans’ freedom. As a result, the Existentialist movement came about and started suggesting humans get freedom from all constraints in society. This research aimed to analyze the dominant perspectives of Existentialism in Bapsi Sidwa’s novel. The researcher had to analytically study existentialism in the novel and to study the contents of the novel under study through the lens of existentialist theory. The method in this study was qualitative in nature. The researcher has referred to the instances from the novel to bring forward the underlying theme in the novel. The text of the novel was taken by the researcher as a sample. The researcher has found that the novel is about the wretched lives of widows in the traditional Brahminical societies in India. Following their beliefs and traditions the traditional Brahminical societies, mal-treat their widows, and snatch their freedom even in modern times. Moreover, in the novel, the researcher discerned, that not only widows, women, but also men are doomed to sufferings, miseries, and traumas in the names of moribund, and obsolete norms and beliefs in such traditional societies.
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