Abstract
Objectives: Hepatitis A is an enterically transmitted disease that still remains endemic in many developing countries. In 1999, two earthquake disasters ruined the northwest region of Turkey, and particularly affected Duzce. The aim of this study was to determine seroprevalences of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection before and after the earthquakes. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in two centres and data including 18 months before and after the earthquakes were examined. A total of 2796 patients were in the study group. Data were evaluted by seperating the groups into two age groups: group 1 (0–17.9 years; n = 1114), group 2 (>18 years; n = 1682). Serum samples were tested for anti‐HAV IgG antibodies by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The χ2 test was used in all cases for statistical analysis. Results: The overall prevalences of HAV infection before and after the earthquakes were 71.3% and 89.4%, respectively. A significant increase in seropositivity was detected after the earthquakes (p<0.001). Seropositivity rates were not related to gender (p>0.05), but were higher in adults (p<0.05). Conclusion: People are at risk of acquiring infections transmitted by the faecal–oral route, such as HAV, in disasters, so screening programmes to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A should be planned, and vaccination strategies and other preventive measures must be revised.