Prevalence of HBV and HCV among outpatients in the plovdiv region of Bulgaria, 2010–2011

Abstract

Viral hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B and C, are diseases with worldwide distribution that present a significant public health problem. Seroprevalence studies allow assessment of the extent of the disease burden, the identification of populations at risk and the monitoring trends over time. A multi-center seroprevalence study, carried out in Bulgaria (covering the five largest cities - Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Pleven, and Stara Zagora) in 1999-2000 estimated a crude seroprevalence rate of 3.9% for HBsAg and 1.3% for anti-HCV. A decade later, comparable rates were observed in a study including 865 outpatients consulting a clinical laboratory in Plovdiv, the second largest administrative region in Bulgaria. The crude seroprevalence rate measured for hepatitis B (HBsAg) was 3.9%. The HBsAg prevalence rate in individuals ≤19 years of age (targeted by vaccination) was significantly lower compared to the rate in adults ≥20 years of age -1% versus 4.8%. The lack of dynamics in the overall level of HBsAg carriers is likely related to the excessively low hepatitis B vaccine coverage in individuals, born before the introduction of the universal vaccination of newborns in August 1991. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 0.7% of the subjects.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B among pregnant women in Varna Region, Bulgaria

“…The distribution of HBV was similar among all age groups, but the lowest HBV prevalence rate was observed in youngest pregnant women (<20 years)a logic result assuming the great effectiveness of the national vaccination program in Bulgaria [Gatcheva et al, 1995]. This result is also in accordance with the most recent study of HBV epidemiology in Bulgaria [Kevorkyan et al, 2015], where the HBsAg prevalence in individuals targeted by vaccination was shown to be significantly lower compared to the rate in non-vaccinated persons. However, when the age group of women younger than 20 years was divided in two subgroups: women under 18 years (undoubtedly targeted by obligatory vaccination) and women between 18 and 20 years (the borderline generation for HBV immunization), a somewhat surprising result was obtained.…”

“…Recently, an identical crude seroprevalence rate of 3.9% was registered in the second largest city of Bulgaria-Plovdiv [Kevorkyan et al, 2015].…”

“…In the beginning of the 2000s, the total prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in healthy volunteers from the five biggest cities in Bulgaria was measured to be 3.86% [Petrunov et al, ]. Recently, an identical crude seroprevalence rate of 3.9% was registered in the second largest city of Bulgaria–Plovdiv [Kevorkyan et al, ].…”

Victimization and Vilification of Romani Children in Media and Human Rights Organizations Discourses

“…In a comparative study of Roma vs. Non-Roma children in Romania and Bulgaria, "negative effects of Roma family life," such as unsafe living conditions (as determined by the standards of the state where they live), social discrimination, few sanitation amenities, and subpar educational environments predispose Roma children to have higher rates of mental health problems (Lee et al, 2014, p. x). Roma parents are conceptualized as negligent because often they do not register their children's births, and this prevents them from receiving free services, such as vaccinations; therefore, their children are more susceptible to contagious diseases (Kevorkyan et al, 2015;Mellou et al, 2015). There is a focus on the ways in which Roma resistance to vaccination is constructed as a threat to the health safety of the dominant populations in which they live (Hajloff & McKee, 2000).…”

The decrease of HBsAg during nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUC) therapy in Bulgarian patients

“…[1,2] In Bulgaria, HBV is with intermediate prevalence of 3.9%. [3,4] Similarly to other South European and Mediterranean countries, about 85% of the chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients are hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg)-negative and genotype D was found in almost 100% of them. [5,6] Current treatment strategies for CHB include attempts for achieving a sustained immune control by a finite treatment course with pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN), or attaining a maintained on-treatment viral control by suppression of HBV replication with nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NUC).…”