A study on hepatitis C virus infection in children in Selenge and Khuvsgul province

Abstract

Background: Mongolia is a country with a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and HCV remains a major public health threat in the country. Lack of research on HCV infection prevalence and risk behaviors in young children was the rationale for this study. Aims: To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in children of Selenge and Khuvsgul province. Methods: The study design was a population-based cross-sectional study. Using randomized sampling method, 520 children aged 0-9 years were recruited. Statistical analysis was performed on SPSS 25.0 programm. Results: Among the study participants, 51.9% (270) were male, 250 (48.1%) were female. Among the children, 0.4% (2) 95% CI (0.1-1.2) had HCV infection. When stratified by age groups, the prevalence was 0.5% among 0-4 year old and 0.3% among 5-9 year old. HCV was detected in 0.8% of male children and in general, the prevalence was higher among males. Conclusion: 1. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in young children was 0.4%. 2. Risk behaviors were having a mother with HCV infection, sharing nail clippers with family members, having injections, tooth extractions, and fillings.