REGIONAL PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B, DELTA, AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: A LARGE POPULATION SURVEY

Abstract

Dusheiko, G. M. (Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom), B. A. Brink, J. D. Conradie, T. Marimuthu, and R. Sher. Regional prevalence of hepatitis B, delta, and human immunodeficiency virus infection in southern Africa: a large population survey. Am J Epidemiol 1989;129:138–45. Although hepatitis B infection is endemic in southern Africa, a changing epidemiology of the disease has recently been documented in the region. The authors surveyed migrant southern African male mineworkers during 1986 to establish the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and D (delta) infection in their areas of origin. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was tested in 29,312 adult male mlneworkers from 18 geographic regions, encompassing the diverse tribal and linguistic groups in the region, as well as in expatriate mineworkers from neighboring southern African countries. The same cohort was also tested for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Selected hepatitis B carriers were also tested for hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), antibody to hepatitis D (anti-HD), and alpha-fetoprotein. The overall prevalence of HBaAg In this survey was 9.9%. However, the prevalence varied from 5.5% to 14% in different ethnic groups. A minority of camera (4.9%) had replicative hepatitis B infection and were hepatitis B virus DNA-positive. Only 0.6% of tested carriers were anti-HD-positive. Alpha-fetoprotein determinations were abnormal in 1.2% of hepatitis B-positive men. These data show that although chronic hepatitis B infection remains widespread in southern Africa, carrier rates vary significantly from region to region. In contrast, hepatitis D co-infection remains extremely uncommon. These baseline seroprevalence data also establish that HIV infection was, in 1986, a rare infection in the indigenous population of South Africa.