Hepatitis A Virus Infection and the Waste Handling Industry: A Seroprevalence Study

Rachiotis, George; Papagiannis, Dimitrios; Thanasias, Efthimios; Dounias, George; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos

doi:10.3390/ijerph9124498

Cited by 18 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(10 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Even though there have been seroprevalence studies before and after the inclusion of the vaccine to NCIP, they focused on certain population groups (children, Roma people, waste handlers, young adults joining the army, etc.) or were conducted at specific geographical areas of the country [ 25 – 29 ]. The World Health Organization, based on a recent effort to estimate the global prevalence of HAV infection and susceptibility, and after taking into account all the available data, has ranked Greece among the low endemicity countries for the disease [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations on the Current Universal Vaccination Policy against Hepatitis A in Greece after Recent Outbreaks

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Greece is the only European Union member state that in 2008 included hepatitis A (HAV) vaccine in the routine national childhood immunization program (NCIP). Given that the resources allocated to public health have dramatically decreased since 2008 and that Greece is a low endemicity country for the disease, the benefit from universal vaccination has been questioned. The aim of this paper is to summarize the available epidemiological data of the disease for 1982-2013, and discuss the effects of universal vaccination on disease morbidity. Descriptive analysis, ARIMA modeling and time series intervention analysis were conducted using surveillance data of acute HAV. A decreasing trend of HAV notification rate over the years was identified (p<0.001). However, universal vaccination (~ 80% vaccine coverage of children) had no significant effect on the annual number of reported cases (p = 0.261) and has resulted to a progressive increase of the average age of infection in the general population. The mean age of cases before the inclusion of the vaccine to NCIP (24.1 years, SD = 1.5) was significantly lower than the mean age of cases after 2008 (31.7 years, SD = 2.1) (p<0.001). In the last decade, one third of all reported cases were Roma (a population accounting for 1.5% of the country’s total population) and in 2013 three outbreaks with 16, 9 and 25 Roma cases respectively, were recorded, indicating the decreased effectiveness of the current immunization strategy in this group. Data suggest that universal vaccination may need to be re-considered. Probably a more cost effective approach would be to implement a program that will include: a) vaccination of high risk groups, b) universal vaccination of Roma children and improving conditions at Roma camps, c) education of the population and travel advice, and d) enhancement of the control measures to increase safety of shellfish and other foods.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations on the Current Universal Vaccination Policy against Hepatitis A in Greece after Recent Outbreaks

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…10 O gerenciamento inadequado dos RSS podem afetar a saúde da população e, principalmente, a saúde dos trabalhadores que têm maior contato com esses resíduos, como funcionários de empresas de carros de coleta de lixo e pessoas que trabalham com reciclagem. 3,11 Ressalta-se também a falta de informações dos profissionais da área da Saúde sobre o manejo adequado de resíduos, questão fundamental para a prevenção de acidentes ocupacionais e a preservação do meio ambiente. 12 Entre as principais normas regulamentadoras vigentes no Brasil Em estudo realizado no Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo, a equipe de enfermagem (enfermeiros e técnicos de enfermagem) demonstrou desconhecimento sobre o manejo adequado dos resíduos químicos perigosos.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Estudo descritivo sobre o gerenciamento de resíduos de serviços de saúde no município de Jataí, Goiás, 2010

Melo¹,

Barbosa²,

Souza³

et al. 2013

Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Although no similar reports are available for direct comparison, the anti-HAV prevalence found among recyclable waste pickers was higher than those reported in waste collectors in Greece and Thailand (62.5%, 61% and 89.2%) 2 6 10 . It should be stressed that recyclable waste pickers are in closer contact with garbage than waste collectors who handle waste products using gloves.…”

mentioning

confidence: 78%

High Prevalence of Hepatitis a Antibodies Among Recyclable Waste Pickers, Central Brazil

Soares

Lopes

Freitas

et al. 2013

Rev. Inst. Med. trop. S. Paulo

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dear Editor,In South America, a shift has been observed from high to intermediate endemicity for hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in several countries, including Brazil, which has generally been explained by improvements in public health programs and sanitary conditions in most parts of these areas 3,13 . A multicentric population-based study conducted in Brazilian capital cities classified the North, Northeast and Central-West regions as having an intermediate endemicity for HAV infection, while South and Southeast regions as having a low endemicity 8 . Furthermore, seroprevalence rates may vary by age, socio-economic status, urbanization level and access to clean water as sanitation facilities 3 .In Brazil, recyclable waste pickers collect, separate, classify and sell all types of recyclable waste materials. These individuals are autonomous workers who may or may not belong to recyclable cooperatives or associations. In 2002, this job became regulated by the Brazilian Occupational Classification. The number of recyclable waste pickers has increased significantly in urban areas, and it is estimated that there are one million recyclable waste pickers in Brazil 1 . They have a lifestyle that makes this group highly vulnerable to unfavorable socioeconomic and environmental factors. Additionally, their occupation is associated with poor health and high levels of risk of acquiring infectious diseases occupationally 5,9,11,12 . However, the epidemiological status of HAV infection in recyclable waste pickers remains unknown.

show abstract

Hepatitis A Virus Infection and the Waste Handling Industry: A Seroprevalence Study

Cited by 18 publications

References 8 publications

Considerations on the Current Universal Vaccination Policy against Hepatitis A in Greece after Recent Outbreaks

Considerations on the Current Universal Vaccination Policy against Hepatitis A in Greece after Recent Outbreaks

Estudo descritivo sobre o gerenciamento de resíduos de serviços de saúde no município de Jataí, Goiás, 2010

High Prevalence of Hepatitis a Antibodies Among Recyclable Waste Pickers, Central Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About