Prevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis among potential expatriates entering GCC states in different districts of KPK, Pakistan

Abstract

Viral hepatitis and syphilis have emerged as significant public health concerns on a global scale. The study was conducted retrospectively to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and syphilis among the potential expatriates entering the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in the year 2022. A total of 42,688 blood samples were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA kits) with the ARCHITECT i1000SR and i2000SR automated immunoassay analyzers, utilizing the microparticle immunoassay technology. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS version 26. The subjects’ ages ranged from 20 to 51 years with a mean age of 28.09 ± 6.153 years, and they belonged to different districts of KPK. The study noted a higher proportion of males than females, with 4.6% (1971) of the subjects being female and 95.4% (40,717) male. Among the females, all were housewives, in contrast to the males of which 98% were engaged in labor work and only 2% being professionals. Of a total of 42,688 samples, HBV occurrence was 0.67% (287/42,688), while HCV was slightly higher as 0.83% (358/42,688). Syphilis showed the highest occurrence as 0.9% (398/42,688), and HIV was limited to 0.1% (56/42,688). This health check-up program is very vital to determine the health status of the expatriates and ensure that they are free from any infectious disease which may be detrimental to the community’s security. These implications hold significance for public health policies and the enhancement of health screening models in the GCC states.