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Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana

Received: 5 August 2022    Accepted: 20 August 2022    Published: 31 August 2022
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Abstract

Viral infections that cause hepatitis B and C are major global health issues. Barbers and mobile nail cutters are regarded as a high-risk category for these diseases since they frequently come into touch with sharp objects. Jobs in underdeveloped nations, like Ghana, fall behind in protecting the security of their employees at work. Barbers and mobile nail clippers are among the low-literate, unregulated occupational groups; increasing direct skin contact and the use of blades or razors can expose barbers and mobile nail clippers to their clients' bodily fluids. The study was designed to find out the prevalence of HBV and HCV among Barbers and mobile nail clippers and to find out about their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and occupational exposure in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. A structured questionnaire and common HBV and HCV test kits were used to interview and test 300 B&MNCs from Sekyere East and Mampong. The proportions of knowledge, attitude, practices, and occupational exposure were measured using a scale. HBV and HCV were more common in barbers (21.33% and 21%, respectively), whereas they were more common in MNCs (29% and 25%, respectively). In contrast to MNCs, barbers had less understanding of HBV and HCV, but they were far more knowledgeable about the routes of transmission. With the exception of 28.33% of barbers who routinely utilize the same accessories without altering, practices and attitudes among barbers were generally favorable. The fact that 44.33% of MNCs neither changed nor sterilized their tools made the situation much more concerning. The study demonstrated that a significant segment of the population, particularly the young, uses the services of barbers and mobile nail trimmers. They could spread HBV and HCV covertly. A regulating organization is required to oversee all mobile nail clippers, screen and license them, and ensure regular workshops and training sessions to advance their education and expertise. It is highly advised that barbers and mobile nail clippers be randomly but frequently observed to keep them on their toes and assist eradicate certain unsanitary behaviors among them that could result in infecting themselves and their clients.

Published in European Journal of Preventive Medicine (Volume 10, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12
Page(s) 88-96
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Barbers, Mobile Nail Clippers, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Occupational Exposure and Prevalence

References
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  • APA Style

    Daniel Berko, Faustina Kokloe, Simon Nyarko, Faridu Abdul-Wadudu. (2022). Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. European Journal of Preventive Medicine, 10(4), 88-96. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12

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    ACS Style

    Daniel Berko; Faustina Kokloe; Simon Nyarko; Faridu Abdul-Wadudu. Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. Eur. J. Prev. Med. 2022, 10(4), 88-96. doi: 10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12

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    AMA Style

    Daniel Berko, Faustina Kokloe, Simon Nyarko, Faridu Abdul-Wadudu. Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. Eur J Prev Med. 2022;10(4):88-96. doi: 10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12,
      author = {Daniel Berko and Faustina Kokloe and Simon Nyarko and Faridu Abdul-Wadudu},
      title = {Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana},
      journal = {European Journal of Preventive Medicine},
      volume = {10},
      number = {4},
      pages = {88-96},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ejpm.20221004.12},
      abstract = {Viral infections that cause hepatitis B and C are major global health issues. Barbers and mobile nail cutters are regarded as a high-risk category for these diseases since they frequently come into touch with sharp objects. Jobs in underdeveloped nations, like Ghana, fall behind in protecting the security of their employees at work. Barbers and mobile nail clippers are among the low-literate, unregulated occupational groups; increasing direct skin contact and the use of blades or razors can expose barbers and mobile nail clippers to their clients' bodily fluids. The study was designed to find out the prevalence of HBV and HCV among Barbers and mobile nail clippers and to find out about their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and occupational exposure in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. A structured questionnaire and common HBV and HCV test kits were used to interview and test 300 B&MNCs from Sekyere East and Mampong. The proportions of knowledge, attitude, practices, and occupational exposure were measured using a scale. HBV and HCV were more common in barbers (21.33% and 21%, respectively), whereas they were more common in MNCs (29% and 25%, respectively). In contrast to MNCs, barbers had less understanding of HBV and HCV, but they were far more knowledgeable about the routes of transmission. With the exception of 28.33% of barbers who routinely utilize the same accessories without altering, practices and attitudes among barbers were generally favorable. The fact that 44.33% of MNCs neither changed nor sterilized their tools made the situation much more concerning. The study demonstrated that a significant segment of the population, particularly the young, uses the services of barbers and mobile nail trimmers. They could spread HBV and HCV covertly. A regulating organization is required to oversee all mobile nail clippers, screen and license them, and ensure regular workshops and training sessions to advance their education and expertise. It is highly advised that barbers and mobile nail clippers be randomly but frequently observed to keep them on their toes and assist eradicate certain unsanitary behaviors among them that could result in infecting themselves and their clients.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus among Barbers and Mobile Nail Clippers in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana
    AU  - Daniel Berko
    AU  - Faustina Kokloe
    AU  - Simon Nyarko
    AU  - Faridu Abdul-Wadudu
    Y1  - 2022/08/31
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12
    T2  - European Journal of Preventive Medicine
    JF  - European Journal of Preventive Medicine
    JO  - European Journal of Preventive Medicine
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    EP  - 96
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8230
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejpm.20221004.12
    AB  - Viral infections that cause hepatitis B and C are major global health issues. Barbers and mobile nail cutters are regarded as a high-risk category for these diseases since they frequently come into touch with sharp objects. Jobs in underdeveloped nations, like Ghana, fall behind in protecting the security of their employees at work. Barbers and mobile nail clippers are among the low-literate, unregulated occupational groups; increasing direct skin contact and the use of blades or razors can expose barbers and mobile nail clippers to their clients' bodily fluids. The study was designed to find out the prevalence of HBV and HCV among Barbers and mobile nail clippers and to find out about their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and occupational exposure in the Sekyere East District and Asante Mampong Municipality of Ghana. A structured questionnaire and common HBV and HCV test kits were used to interview and test 300 B&MNCs from Sekyere East and Mampong. The proportions of knowledge, attitude, practices, and occupational exposure were measured using a scale. HBV and HCV were more common in barbers (21.33% and 21%, respectively), whereas they were more common in MNCs (29% and 25%, respectively). In contrast to MNCs, barbers had less understanding of HBV and HCV, but they were far more knowledgeable about the routes of transmission. With the exception of 28.33% of barbers who routinely utilize the same accessories without altering, practices and attitudes among barbers were generally favorable. The fact that 44.33% of MNCs neither changed nor sterilized their tools made the situation much more concerning. The study demonstrated that a significant segment of the population, particularly the young, uses the services of barbers and mobile nail trimmers. They could spread HBV and HCV covertly. A regulating organization is required to oversee all mobile nail clippers, screen and license them, and ensure regular workshops and training sessions to advance their education and expertise. It is highly advised that barbers and mobile nail clippers be randomly but frequently observed to keep them on their toes and assist eradicate certain unsanitary behaviors among them that could result in infecting themselves and their clients.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Faculty of Science Education, Department of Biological Science Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong, Ghana

  • Faculty of Science Education, Department of Biological Science Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong, Ghana

  • Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Department of Public Health, University of Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

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