INITIAL REPORT OF A HEPATITIS INVESTIGATION IN RURAL BELIZE

In spring 1991, Belizian health officials expressed concern about a po ssible hepatitis outbreak in a banana farming district. A study was de signed to identify cases and to address the serological prevalence of hepatitis virus markers. Three populations were studied: (i) persons m eeting a clinical case definition for hepatitis; (ii) designated banan a workers; and (iii) people in a random sample of households in the co mmunity. Information was collected using questionnaires and sera were collected for laboratory testing. This report presents the preliminary results of a study conducted in June 1991. Among people who met the c linical case definition, 24% of 42 tested had immunoglobulin M antibod y to hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen (anti-HBc IgM). In the worke r and household survey populations, 284 and 280 people, respectively, were tested for anti-HBc IgM. In each group, 4% were positive. HBV sur face antigen was found in 37% of 43 clinical cases, 18% of workers, an d 13% of people in the household survey. Among the 3 study populations , the prevalence of HBV core antibody (anti-HBc) ranged from 73% to 81 %. Almost all tested persons had evidence of prior hepatitis A virus i nfection. Evidence of prior infection with hepatitis viruses A and B w as widespread, but an aetiology could not be established for most of t he clinical cases. However, the prevalence of hepatitis B markers in t his population was very high compared to other reports from the Caribb ean.