Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems
On the last twenty years, viral hepatitis has emerged as a serious problem in almost all the Amerindian communities studied in the Amazon Basin and in other Amazon-related ecological systems from the North and Center of South America. Studies performed on communities from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,...
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Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
2003-01-01
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Online Access: | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2003000600003 |
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doaj-08c583337e874c17869e1cc8bd3603f92020-11-25T01:36:29ZengEscola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo CruzCadernos de Saúde Pública0102-311X1678-44642003-01-0119615831591Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystemsEchevarría José M.León PilarOn the last twenty years, viral hepatitis has emerged as a serious problem in almost all the Amerindian communities studied in the Amazon Basin and in other Amazon-related ecological systems from the North and Center of South America. Studies performed on communities from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela have shown a high endemicity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection all over the region, which is frequently associated to a high prevalence of infection by hepatitis D virus among the chronic HBV carriers. Circulation of both agents responds mainly to horizontal virus transmission during childhood through mechanisms that are not fully understood. By contrast, infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is present in all the urban areas of South America, is still very uncommon among them. At the moment, there is not data enough to evaluate properly the true incidence that such endemicity may have on the health of the populations affected. Since viral transmission might be operated by mechanisms that could not be acting in other areas of the World, it seems essential to investigate such mechanisms and to prevent the introduction of HCV into these populations, which consequences for health could be very serious.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2003000600003Viral HepatitisHepatitisSouth American IndiansAmazonian Ecosystem |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Echevarría José M. León Pilar |
spellingShingle |
Echevarría José M. León Pilar Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems Cadernos de Saúde Pública Viral Hepatitis Hepatitis South American Indians Amazonian Ecosystem |
author_facet |
Echevarría José M. León Pilar |
author_sort |
Echevarría José M. |
title |
Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems |
title_short |
Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems |
title_full |
Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems |
title_fullStr |
Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems |
title_full_unstemmed |
Epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the Amazon Basin and related ecosystems |
title_sort |
epidemiology of viruses causing chronic hepatitis among populations from the amazon basin and related ecosystems |
publisher |
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz |
series |
Cadernos de Saúde Pública |
issn |
0102-311X 1678-4464 |
publishDate |
2003-01-01 |
description |
On the last twenty years, viral hepatitis has emerged as a serious problem in almost all the Amerindian communities studied in the Amazon Basin and in other Amazon-related ecological systems from the North and Center of South America. Studies performed on communities from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela have shown a high endemicity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection all over the region, which is frequently associated to a high prevalence of infection by hepatitis D virus among the chronic HBV carriers. Circulation of both agents responds mainly to horizontal virus transmission during childhood through mechanisms that are not fully understood. By contrast, infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is present in all the urban areas of South America, is still very uncommon among them. At the moment, there is not data enough to evaluate properly the true incidence that such endemicity may have on the health of the populations affected. Since viral transmission might be operated by mechanisms that could not be acting in other areas of the World, it seems essential to investigate such mechanisms and to prevent the introduction of HCV into these populations, which consequences for health could be very serious. |
topic |
Viral Hepatitis Hepatitis South American Indians Amazonian Ecosystem |
url |
http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2003000600003 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT echevarriajosem epidemiologyofvirusescausingchronichepatitisamongpopulationsfromtheamazonbasinandrelatedecosystems AT leonpilar epidemiologyofvirusescausingchronichepatitisamongpopulationsfromtheamazonbasinandrelatedecosystems |
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