FAMILIAL PATTERN OF INFECTION WITH HEPATITIS-B VIRUS AMONG IMMIGRATING ETHIOPIAN JEWS IN ISRAEL

Seventy-eight families (506 members) of recently immigrating Ethiopian Jews to Israel, were tested for the presence of HBV serological marke rs to evaluate the intrafamilial horizontal transmission of the virus. Eighty-four members (16.6%) were carriers and 20.2% were HBeAg positi ve, the overall infection rate was 67.8%. In 40 families (51.3%) at le ast one family member was HBsAG positive, and in 19 families (24.4%) t wo or more family members were HBsAg positive. Thirty-six carriers (42 .8%) were children under the age of 10, by one year of age 30% have co ntracted the virus, and by the age of 5 and 10 years 43.5% and 57.1% h ave had serological markers for past HBV infection, respectively. Our data correlate with other studies regarding the importance of horizont al spread of HBV among Sub-Saharan Africans.