Prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV Infections Among Syrian Refugees in Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are public health problems worldwide. Population mobility such as that occurs in war may play a role in changing the prevalence of infectious diseases. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV among Syrian refugees in Iraq and compare it to native Iraqis. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 880 Syrian refugees and 2975 native Iraqi volunteers were recruited. Subjects were tested for evidence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV antibody (Ab) and HIV Ag and Ab. Results: From a total of 880 refugees, 34 cases (3.86%) were positive for HBsAg. None of the recruited samples was positive for HCV. For the indigenous people, 2975 subjects agreed to contribute in the project. Among them, 30 (1.09%) were positive for HBsAg and only one was positive for HCV. All the examined samples were negative for HIV in both populations. Conclusions: While the prevalence rates of HCV and HIV are low and almost the same, the prevalence of HBV among the refugees is nearly fourfold higher than that found in indigenous population. This may put extra burden on health institutions in the host country.