Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses Among Asylum Seekers in Izmir

Abstract

Hepatitis B and C virus infections are known to be an important health problem all over the World. According to the data from World Health Organization, 350 million people are estimated to have been chronically infected by hepatitis B virus and 180 million people have been infected by hepatitis C virus. Most of the patients are not aware of their illnesses. Hepatitis B and C virus infections are the most common cause of sequel liver disease related to decompensate liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Many people are obliged to leave their country due to political, economic and social reasons. In Turkey, where there is refugee and asylum seeker problem because of geographical location, we aimed to specify the demographic characteristics of asylum seekers in Izmir and to evaluate the asylum seekers in terms of blood-borne and sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis B and C.