Hepatitis B & C screening results: Bulgaria.

Unexpected high number of HCV cases in Sofia and Varna

During the period May - June 2007, the Bulgarian National Hepatitis Association, HEPASIST, organized a screening campaign which provided free testing for both hepatitis B and C amongst two different groups (the general public and medical staff). The testing took place in Sofia and Varna, Bulgaria’s second biggest city.

As regards the first group, out of 279 people, 8 were tested positive for hepatitis B (2.87%) and 14 were tested positive for hepatitis C (5.02%). This challenges the official figures drawn by gastroenterologist experts of 1.5% HCV positive cases in Bulgaria and alerts to the seriousness of the issue.

The high incidence of hepatitis C amongst people living in these cities could be explained by a higher likelihood of being exposed to the virus; Sofia and Varna are Bulgaria’s most famous tourist destinations – there’s an elevated incidence of drug use in these cities where the tattooing and piercing culture is much more popular than in other parts of the country.

The lower number of hepatitis B cases could be explained by the Bulgaria’s national vaccination program which started in 1994.

Finally, the relatively low number of people who came forward to get tested indicates the lack of awareness about chronic hepatitis in Bulgaria.

Regarding the second group, out of 930 health staff tested in Sofia and Varna, 12 were HbsAg positive (1.29%) and 7 were HCV positive (0.75%).

Hepasist’s screening campaign continued in Plovdiv (the regional center of South Bulgaria) in the end of June. In total, 700 people were tested there; that encompassed 600 medical staff and 100 members of the public. The results were very different from what they found in Sofia and Varna. The number of positive tests for HbsAg amongst the medical staff was 21 (3.5%) compared to 6 cases in the second group (6%). Also, there were 2 HCV positive diagnosis in the first group (0.33%) and none amongst the general public.

Following these interesting findings, Hepasist is planning to carry further screening campaigns around the country so if you live in Bulgaria, keep an ear out as they might be visiting your city soon!