Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus among United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) peacekeepers, 1995

Abstract

Information about the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is sparse in many countries. Following the identification of four cases of acute HEV infection among Bangladeshi soldiers, a serologic survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of HEV infection among other peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) and Haitian civilians. Of the 981 participants in the survey, 876 were soldiers from eight UNMIH-participating countries representing Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and 105 were Haitian civilians. The prevalence of HEV infection by country (from highest to lowest) included Pakistan (62%), India (37%), Nepal (37%), Bangladesh (27%), Djibouti (13%), Honduras (6%), Guatemala (5%), Haiti (3%), and the United States (2%). More than 90% of those surveyed from Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras, where prevalence data has been scarce, appeared susceptible to HEV infection. Future multinational missions like the UNMIH might also present unique opportunities to study health threats of widespread interest.