Background: Waste pickers are considered a vulnerable population at risk for potential health damage. Taking into account the risk of hepatitis B or C infection in this population, the aim of this study was to show the prevalence of these diseases in waste pickers from South America, through a systematic review.
Methods: The search covered publications until February 2020, accessed through Google Scholar database. Epidemiological studies on hepatitis B or C focused on waste pickers in South America were included. All selected papers were evaluated for quality.
Results: Six studies composed this systematic review, all conducted in Brazil and using cross-sectional study. The prevalence of all makers (HBsAg or anti-HBc) for hepatitis B varied from 4.3 to 33.4% while for hepatitis C varied from 1.6 to 12.4%.
Conclusion: The lack of results showed the requirement for more research about hepatitis including this informal workers group. High prevalences of hepatitis B and C in waste pickers highlighted the need of increase preventive health protection as vaccination against hepatitis B; training on working conditions; and the use of individual protection.
Keywords: South America; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; prevalence; systematic review; waste pickers.
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