Prevalence of blood-borne viral diseases among migrants travelling to the kingdom of Bahrain from Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Background: Migrants are considered as high-risk group for blood-borne viral infections (BBVIs) due to a combination of factors such as geographic origin, living and working conditions, journey and destination. Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of viral infections, especially HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C among outgoing migrants travelling to the kingdom of Bahrain from Bangladesh. Methods: The study was conducted in Anas medical center, Dhaka, Bangladesh from October 2023 to June 2024 where 9,319 out-migrants were involved. Blood samples from each individual were tested for HIV, HCV and HBsAg using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Results: Of 9,319 analyzed samples, 0.95% (n=89) of patients were tested positive for abovementioned viral infections where the prevalence were HBV, 0.66% (n=62) with 95% CI: 0.496% to 0.824%, HCV, 0.18% (n=17) with 95% CI: 0.094% to 0.266% and HIV, 0.12% (n=11) with 95% CI: 0.0497% to 0.1903% respectively. Out of 0.95% of positive patients, 42.7% (n=38) had different symptoms of infection and the rest, 57.3% (n=51) were asymptomatic. The prevalence among female participants was 0.03% (n=3) compared to males (0.92%, n=86). Young adults aged between 20-30 years showed highest prevalence (0.39%, n=37) of viral infections among different age groups. Mild seasonal fluctuation was marked for HIV and HCV whereas marked variation with a sharp peak in March (0.15%, n=14) determined a higher frequency of HBV throughout the study period. Only one patient was HBV-HCV co-infected. Conclusions: This research showed recent proportion of communicable diseases among migrants from Bangladesh as they differ in their prevalence by geographic regions. Strict monitoring and surveillance of migrants will mitigate contagious diseases across travelers.