Viral hepatitis markers in Djibouti: an epidemiological survey.

A serosurvey involving 656 individuals revealed that hepatitis A infection was virtually universal in Djibouti in 1987, and more than half of the people investigated had serum markers of hepatitis B infection. The rate of chronic HBsAg carriers was 7.3% and was higher for males than for females. Both HBsAg and anti-HBs positivity rates were directly related to increasing age. No uniform mechanism could be found to account for transmission of the hepatitis B virus, and no correlation was noted between HBV-marker status and sexual promiscuity or the classic blood exposure risks. However, a significant association existed between the abuse of khat and the chronic HBsAg carrier state.