Prevalence of viral hepatitis B among workers in a tobacco and match industry in Mali

Abstract

Introduction. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of viral hepatitis B among workers in a Tobacco and Match Industry company in Bamako, Mali. Materials and methods. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study that took place from November 07 to 24, 2022. It included all the workers of the Tobacco and Matches company in Bamako, Mali, who took part in the medical visit. company periodical. Apart from the biometric and physiological constants in relation to their use, we carried out a qualitative screening test using the anti-hepatitis B antigen. The data collected on a questionnaire were processed by software: SPSS (version 20.0) and EXCEL and the text processing was carried out on Microsoft Word. Results. : a total of 149 workers were included in our study. The participation rate was 100%. The average age of workers found was 38.66 years with extremes ranging from 20 to 60 years. Our sample consisted of 07 women or 13.9% and 142 men or 86.1%, with a clear male predominance and a sex ratio of 20.28%. Seniority with more than 5 years of service was 53.7% among workers. Our study noted a prevalence of viral hepatitis B of 16.77%. Workers with positive HBsAg were men (100%). No real mode of contamination was found in this company. But strong suspicion on lifestyles has been singled out. Conclusion: In the workplace, viral hepatitis B can permanently affect the health of workers and lead to a drop in production, especially at the complication stage. Employers should also be encouraged to raise awareness and mass vaccinate their staff against viral hepatitis B.