Scarification in sub‐Saharan Africa: social skin, remedy and medical import

Garve, Roland; Garve, Miriam; Türp, Jens C.; Meyer, Christian G.

doi:10.1111/tmi.12878

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…It is therefore plausible to suggest that the involvement of the adolescents in such practices as reported in this study could have exposed them to the horizontal transmission of HBV. The findings in this current study are corroborated with reports in other research findings where hepatitis B virus is implicated as one of the pathogens transmissible through use of infected tools during traditional practices involving skin scarification or tattooing in modern society [ 18 – 20 ]. Tattooing as well as other skin-penetrating practices has also remained characteristically associated with HBV disease in a number of studies [ 21 – 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Adolescent Blood Donors within Selected Counties of Western Kenya

Awili

Gitao

Muchemi

2020

BioMed Research International

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Hepatitis B virus is a widespread public health menace approximated to have infected 257 million people chronically by 2015. Data on the prevalence of HBV is important in formulating public health policies on HBV control like safe blood transfusion. Adolescents aged 15 to 24 years, known to engage in risky activities associated with HBV spread, constitute major blood donors in Kenya. Notwithstanding current blood donation safety measures, HBV still remain hazardous transfusion-transmissible infections in donated blood. This study therefore was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg and related risk factors among this donor group. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2019 to August 2019 in Siaya, Kisumu, and Homa Bay counties. One thousand (1000) voluntary blood donors 18 to 25 years old were recruited. A predonation questionnaire was used to record their sociodemographic features and prior risk exposures. Blood samples were initially tested for HBsAg using Murex HBsAg Version 3 (DiaSorin, UK) and positives confirmed using ARCHITECT HBsAg Qualitative Confirmatory assay (Abbott Ireland) as per the manufacturer’s instructions. A result was considered positive if the first and confirmatory tests were all reactive. Generally, the prevalence of HBV was 3.4%, with no significant association between various sociodemographic variables and HBsAg positivity. Nevertheless, scarification and risky sexual behavior were significantly linked to HBV infections (odds ratio OR=8.533, 95%confidence interval CI=3.128‐23.275, p value of 0.001 and OR=5.471, 95%CI=1.925‐15.547, p value of 0.002, respectively). This study revealed a prevalence of 3.4% HBsAg among adolescent blood donors, with perilous sexual behaviors being the most significant risk factor, evidence that sexual contact still plays a major role in transmission of HBV among this donor group despite blood transfusion safety measures put in place. These study findings should therefore be put into consideration while framing health policies to mitigate effects of HBV infection on safe blood transfusion.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The findings in this current study are corroborated with reports in other research findings where hepatitis B virus is implicated as one of the pathogens transmissible through use of infected tools during traditional practices involving skin scarification or tattooing in modern society [18][19][20].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Adolescent Blood Donors within Selected Counties of Western Kenya

Awili

Gitao

Muchemi

2020

BioMed Research International

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“…d) similar to some other African families . On the other hand, in South Sudan, the Dinka (serrated and fan‐shaped scars) and the Nuer (horizontal scars) as well as some other Nilotic groups are marked with different tribal‐specific scars on the foreheads rather than straight lines on their cheeks …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin diseases in rural Nyala, Sudan (in a rural hospital, in 12 orphanages, and in two refugee camps)

Öztürk

2019

Int J Dermatology

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Skin diseases are considered to be common in Nyala, Sudan. This study was carried out to verify the prevalence of skin diseases in Nyala. This prospective observational study included skin examination of a total of 1802 people: 620 patients who were evaluated in the outpatient clinics (OC) and 1182 people from orphanages and refugee camps (ORC) in Nyala, Sudan. v 2 test was used. The total prevalence of skin disorders in the sample was 92.6% (1670/1802). One thousand and fifty of 1182 (88.8%) people from ORC had a skin disorder. The most common skin diseases in this community were: fungal infections (32.6%), dermatitis/eczema (10.5%), bacterial skin infections (10.3%), disorders of skin appendages (8.7%), parasitic infestations (7.7%), atrophic skin disorders (7.4%), disorders of pigmentation (7.4%), hypertrophic skin disorders (6.4%), viral infections (5.8), benign neoplasm (1.9%), dermatoses due to animal injury (0.4%), bullous dermatoses (0.1%), and malignant neoplasm (0.1%). Hypertrophic and atrophic disorders of the skin were mainly lesions of scarification (mostly atrophic) (5.7%) and keloids (5.6%). Fungal infection, bacterial infection, and parasitic infestation were more common in the ORC group, while dermatitis and eczema, disorders of skin appendages, hypertrophic and atrophic disorders of the skin, disorders of pigmentation, and benign neoplasm were more common in the OC group. The prevalence of skin diseases in the rural Nyala was more than our expectation and was dominated by infectious skin diseases. In addition, infectious skin diseases were more common in ORC rather than OC.

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“…Scarification has been linked to several dermatologic adverse events – cutaneous sarcoidosis, lichen planus, psoriasis, and discoid lupus 6‐9 . In Senegal, 2.1% of tetanus cases in the 1980s were linked to scarification 6,10 . Development of filarial elephantiasis by Wucheria bancrofti was linked to scarification in Ghana 6,11 .…”

Section: Pathologymentioning

confidence: 99%