Confirmed Foodborne Hepatitis A in Saudi Arabia, 2005-2015

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Abstract

Background

Foodborne hepatitis A has major health and economic impacts. Pathogen-specific surveillance based on laboratory findings is conducted to detect and confirm cases of foodborne hepatitis A. Foodborne hepatitis A is on the priority list of diseases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Objectives

This study aimed to describe the characteristics of confirmed foodborne hepatitis A in the KSA from 2005 to 2015.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of confirmed foodborne hepatitis A in the KSA from 2005 to 2015 was conducted, and data collection was through retrospective chart review.

Results

The number of hepatitis A cases that have been confirmed and reported to the Ministry of Health during the study period was 11148, and the Riyadh health region had more reported cases (1353 cases; 12.1%) than any other region. The highest number of cases (2631 cases; 23.6%) was recorded in 2006, and the incidence of foodborne hepatitis A was found to be highest in the month of March (1439; 12.9%). Further, the incidence of foodborne hepatitis A was highest in the five-to-14-years age group, in male individuals, and in Saudi nationals at 59% (6556 cases), 55% (6076 cases), and 88% (9775 cases), respectively.

Conclusion

The characteristics of foodborne hepatitis A vary according to time, place, and person. These variations may reflect differences in reporting systems and in preventive measures between health regions, seasons, and habits of the Saudi population.

Related collections

Most cited references 29

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Epidemiology of Viral Hepatitis in Saudi Arabia: Are We Off the Hook?

Ayman A Abdo, Faisal M Sanai, Faleh Al Faleh (2012)

Some 400 million people worldwide are currently infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the infection is common in the Middle East. Another 170 million people around the globe presently live with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Both HBV and HCV represent a worldwide epidemic. Despite significant decline in the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in Saudi Arabia, these viral diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality, and impose a great burden on the country's healthcare system. On the other hand, Saudi epidemiology studies have shown that the hepatitis A virus seroprevalence in the country has reduced considerably over the past two decades. The progress in mapping the epidemiological pattern of viral hepatitis in Saudi Arabia has not only aided our understanding of the disease, but has also exposed the small but relevant gaps in our identification of the intricate details concerning the disease's clinical expression. In this review, we aim to document the timeline of viral hepatitis epidemiology in Saudi Arabia, while summarizing the relevant published literature on the subject.

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Hepatitis A: Epidemiology and prevention in developing countries.

L Zaratti, Catherine D Sorbara, Laura Serino … (2012)

Hepatitis A is the most common form of acute viral hepatitis in the world. Major geographical differences in endemicity of hepatitis A are closely related to hygienic and sanitary conditions and other indicators of the level of socioeconomic development. The anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence rate is presently decreasing in many parts of the world, but in less developed regions and in several developing countries, HAV infection is still very common in the first years of life and seroprevalence rates approach 100%. In areas of intermediate endemicity, the delay in the exposure to the virus has generated a huge number of susceptible adolescents and adults and significantly increased the average age at infection. As the severity of disease increases with age, this has led to outbreaks of hepatitis A. Several factors contribute to the decline of the infection rate, including rising socioeconomic levels, increased access to clean water and the availability of a hepatitis A vaccine that was developed in the 1990s. For populations with a high proportion of susceptible adults, implementing vaccination programs may be considered. In this report, we review available epidemiological data and implementation of vaccination strategies, particularly focusing on developing countries.

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Cholera in coastal Africa: a systematic review of its heterogeneous environmental determinants.

Renaud Piarroux, Benoit Faucher, Stanislas Rebaudet … (2013)

According to the "cholera paradigm," epidemiology of this prototypical waterborne disease is considered to be driven directly by climate-induced variations in coastal aquatic reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae. This systematic review on environmental determinants of cholera in coastal Africa shows that instead coastal epidemics constitute a minor part of the continental cholera burden. Most of coastal cholera foci are located near estuaries, lagoons, mangrove forests, and on islands. Yet outbreaks often originate in coastal cities, where cholera is more likely to be imported from distant areas. Cholera outbreaks also may intensify in densely populated slum quarters before spreading to adjacent regions. Frequent seasonality of cholera incidence appears driven by the rainfall-induced contamination of unprotected water sources through latrine overflow and sewage, as well as by the periodicity of human activities like fishing or traveling. Lulls in transmission periods of several years are repeatedly recorded even in high-risk coastal areas. To date, environmental studies have failed to demonstrate a perennial aquatic reservoir of toxigenic V. cholerae around the continent. Finally, applicability of the cholera paradigm therefore appears questionable in Africa, although available data remain limited. Thorough surveys with microbiological analyses of water samples and prospective genotyping of environmental and clinical strains of V. cholerae are needed to understand determinants of cholera in coastal Africa and better target prevention and control measures.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Cureus

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Cureus

Journal ID (issn): 2168-8184

Title: Cureus

Publisher: Cureus (Palo Alto (CA) )

ISSN (Electronic): 2168-8184

Publication date (Electronic, pub): 2 January 2022

Publication date (Electronic, collection): January 2022

Volume: 14

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: e20878

Affiliations

[1 ] Epidemiology and Public Health, Field Epidemiology Training Program, Riyadh, SAU

Author notes

Bader Alibrahim alibrahimb@ 123456gmail.com

Article

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20878

PMC ID: 8806597

PubMed ID: 35145785

SO-VID: 5363a0cf-1f06-4230-aaec-8c00e9a51c87

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

History

Date accepted : 2 January 2022

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