Hepatitis B and C Viral Infection: Seroprevalence and Associated Factors among Barbers in Sana'a City, Yemen

Objective: The study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B and C viral infection among barbers in Sana'a city, Yemen.Methods: Cross-sectional survey was carried out among males' barbers who were practicing hair cutting/shaving for males' customer only in Sana'a city, Yemen from Nov., 2011 to Oct., 2012. Multistage cluster random sampling technique was used to selected 248 barbers from 10 districts.Results: 4.03% of barbers were HBsAg-positive. On the other hand, anti-HCV/HCV-RNA seropositivity was 0.4%. Significant association between risk factors and being HBV-seropositivity was not found. Observations of barbers’ practices showed that washed their hands before attending each client was practiced by 27%. There were no barber was wear protective clothes or especial gloves.Conclusions: It is essential to promote awareness of these risks among everyone, especially barbers, and client who frequent barber shops