An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus
Background: Outbreaks of acute hepatitis A (AHA) have recently been reported in Europe among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, trends in the reported cases of AHA in Cyprus over the last seven years. Methods: We retrospectively studied all peo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/11/979 |
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| author | Panagiotis Dimitriou Georgios K. Nikolopoulos Maria Koliou Elisavet Constantinou Chara Azina Maria Panayiotou Eirini Christaki |
| author_facet | Panagiotis Dimitriou Georgios K. Nikolopoulos Maria Koliou Elisavet Constantinou Chara Azina Maria Panayiotou Eirini Christaki |
| author_sort | Panagiotis Dimitriou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Outbreaks of acute hepatitis A (AHA) have recently been reported in Europe among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, trends in the reported cases of AHA in Cyprus over the last seven years. Methods: We retrospectively studied all people reported with AHA in Cyprus between January 2013 and December 2019. Demographic data, type of transmission, vaccination status for HAV, laboratory and clinical data were analyzed. Results: The asnalysis involved 33 AHA cases (age 32.7 ± 17.4 years, 78.8% males). An increase in AHA reports was observed between July 2017 and June 2018 when more than a third (<i>n</i> = 13) of the cases of the period 2013–2019 were reported. The reporting rate of AHA doubled from 0.52 cases per 100,000 population (before July 2017) to 1.12 cases per 100,000 population (July 2017–June 2018). The male/female (M/F) ratio increased from one in 2013 to eight in 2018. Conclusion: An increase in AHA reports occurred in Cyprus between July 2017 and June 2018. Many cases with AHA in that period were MSM. Enhanced surveillance and timely public health interventions, like vaccination and awareness promotion, are important for preventing future outbreaks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:37:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41053584783d46b8aca0823fd7ff9ef8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:37:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-41053584783d46b8aca0823fd7ff9ef82023-11-20T22:00:33ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172020-11-0191197910.3390/pathogens9110979An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in CyprusPanagiotis Dimitriou0Georgios K. Nikolopoulos1Maria Koliou2Elisavet Constantinou3Chara Azina4Maria Panayiotou5Eirini Christaki6Department of Medicine, Nicosia General Hospital, 2029 Nicosia, CyprusMedical School, University of Cyprus, 2029 Nicosia, CyprusUnit for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, Medical and Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, 1448 Nicosia, CyprusUnit for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, Medical and Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, 1448 Nicosia, CyprusDepartment of Medicine, Nicosia General Hospital, 2029 Nicosia, CyprusMedical School, University of Cyprus, 2029 Nicosia, CyprusDepartment of Medicine, Nicosia General Hospital, 2029 Nicosia, CyprusBackground: Outbreaks of acute hepatitis A (AHA) have recently been reported in Europe among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, trends in the reported cases of AHA in Cyprus over the last seven years. Methods: We retrospectively studied all people reported with AHA in Cyprus between January 2013 and December 2019. Demographic data, type of transmission, vaccination status for HAV, laboratory and clinical data were analyzed. Results: The asnalysis involved 33 AHA cases (age 32.7 ± 17.4 years, 78.8% males). An increase in AHA reports was observed between July 2017 and June 2018 when more than a third (<i>n</i> = 13) of the cases of the period 2013–2019 were reported. The reporting rate of AHA doubled from 0.52 cases per 100,000 population (before July 2017) to 1.12 cases per 100,000 population (July 2017–June 2018). The male/female (M/F) ratio increased from one in 2013 to eight in 2018. Conclusion: An increase in AHA reports occurred in Cyprus between July 2017 and June 2018. Many cases with AHA in that period were MSM. Enhanced surveillance and timely public health interventions, like vaccination and awareness promotion, are important for preventing future outbreaks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/11/979hepatitis Aoutbreaksexually transmitted diseasesmen having sex with men |
| spellingShingle | Panagiotis Dimitriou Georgios K. Nikolopoulos Maria Koliou Elisavet Constantinou Chara Azina Maria Panayiotou Eirini Christaki An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus Pathogens hepatitis A outbreak sexually transmitted diseases men having sex with men |
| title | An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus |
| title_full | An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus |
| title_fullStr | An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus |
| title_short | An Outbreak of Hepatitis A among Young Adult Men in Cyprus |
| title_sort | outbreak of hepatitis a among young adult men in cyprus |
| topic | hepatitis A outbreak sexually transmitted diseases men having sex with men |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/11/979 |
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