Sentinel surveillance for patients with acute hepatitis in Egypt, 2001-04

Abstract

Viral hepatitis is a major problem in Egypt. To define the epidemiology of the disease, sentinel surveillance was established in 5 hospitals in diverse areas of the country in 2001. Data were completed for patients meeting the case definition for viral hepatitis. Of a total of 5909 patients evaluated, 4189 [‎70.9%]‎ showed positive antibody markers for hepatitis. Out of those, 40.2% had evidence of hepatitis A virus [‎HAV]‎ infection, 30.0% hepatitis B virus [‎HBV]‎ and 29.8% hepatitis C virus [‎HCV]‎ infection. This surveillance system was useful in identifying the variable endemicity of acute HAV infection in different regions and for better understanding the epidemiology of HBV and HCV infection