Spread of infection with hepatitis B and C viruses in different population groups of north-western Ukraine

The detection rate of specific markers of hepatitides B and C among the child and adult population, including 487 children in 5 boarding schools, 338 oncological, hematological, urological patients and 206 medical staff members in Rovno and the Rovno region (North-Western Ukraine), was determined. In boarding-school the markers of HB (HBsAg, anti-HBs, summary anti-HBc) were detected 3.5 times more often than among the child population in general (in 28.3 and 8.0% respectively). In children staying in a boarding school for up to 1 year (126 children) these markers were determined in 23% of cases, and in those who stayed there for 3-5 years, in 58.1% of cases. Among the members of the groups where children with HBsAg were found the markers of HB occurred 3.3 more often then among the children in the groups having no HBsAg carriers (45.3 and 13.9% respectively). The detection rates of the markers of HB in children with various kinds of C.N.S. pathology (first of all, with mongolism) and without concomitant diseases were sharply different (they were found, respectively, in 52.9 and 19.6%, including HBsAg in 17.4 and 2.7%). At the same time the detection rate of anti-HCV among boarding-school children (including those with C.N.S. lesions) was no different from that among the child population in general, which was indicative of great differences in the activity of the nonartificial transmission routes HB and HC viruses. Patients with oncological, hematological and urological diseases who had great "parenteral load", as well as medical staff members, formed a high risk group for being infected with both HB and HC viruses.