FREQUENCY OF INCIDENTALLY DETECTED ASYMPTOMATIC HEPATITIS B & C SUBJECTS RECENTLY RECRUITED AS CIVIL SERVANTS IN PUNJAB

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence of and hepatitis C virus in asymptomatic healthy individuals who have to appears new recruitments of civil services in different departments of government of Punjab. Data Source: Services Hospital, Lahore. Design of study: Descriptive study. Setting: This study was conducted in Department of Pathology SIMS and the samples st th were collected from the Services Hospital, Lahore. Period: In 2017 from 1 January – 30 July. Method: A total of 9629 selected government servants from 18 to 30 years (mean 23.22 + 0.53 years) of age in different cadres from basic pay scale (BPS) 01 to 18, attending the hospital, were included in the study. Three millimeter of blood was subjected to rapid screening test. rd All the positive cases on the rapid screening were confirmed by 3 Generation Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique. Results: A total of 2.81% were HCV positive and1.66%was positive for HEPATITIS B VIRUS respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of Hepatitis C virus and infections remains high in the province of punjab especially in the lower socioeconomic group in otherwise asymptomatic persons.