Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B infection among the Municipal Waste collectors in Aden, Yemen

Background the study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV infection among municipal waste collectors and to identify risk factors associated with this infection among those collectors in Aden, Yemen. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 municipal waste collectors. The samples were collected and tested for HBsAg using a Cobas technique. Results The overall prevalence of HBV was 5%, and clustering of infection was 80% in the Khormaksar district. The highest significant rates were 18.2% and 40% among female MWCs and those exposed to biomedical waste (p = 0.033, 0.019), respectively. Significant associations between HBV were revealed among those who were exposed to catheterization (p = 0.002) and needle stick (p = 0.0001). Only 1 (25%) of vaccinated members had HBV infection with a borderline significant association (p = 0.061). Associations were also significant between HBV infection and clinical findings, including fever (p = 0.0001), vomiting (p = 0.0001), nausea (p = 0.001), loss of appetite (p = 0.0001), abdominal pain (p = 0.001), and jaundice (p = 0.005). Conclusion It can be concluded from this study that the prevalence of HBV infection among municipal waste collectors in Aden, Yemen, was relatively low in comparison with most studies globally and lower than the prevalence of HBV infection among the Yemeni population. The highest rates of HBV were among females and those exposed to biomedical waste. Exposure to needle sticks and catheterization may increase the risk of HBV infections. Mandatory screening and vaccination for all for HBV should be implemented at all MWCs to reduce the HBV risks. Further studies are recommended to detect the HBV and other viral infections among informal waste pickers or garbage collectors.