With its increasing prevalence annually in both the developed and developing countries Hepatitis C is a health problem on a global scale. Cultural factors of different regions highly influence the epidemiology of the disease. The prevalent culture in the developed countries such as using illicit drugs through contaminated needles and the unsafe sexual practices play an important role in the transmission of disease.
The major factors in the developing countries that contribute to the transmission of the disease include using improperly sterilized needles, transfusion of the blood that has infection of the disease and some of the different ethnic cultural practices of the regions. .(Dev A, Sundararajan V, Sievert W, 2004). In many countries of Europe, according to the reports the major cause that is responsible for the spread of the disease is the transfusion of the contaminated blood in addition to some factors such as using contaminated medical equipment.
(G. La Torre et. a, 2003). The flaws in the health care procedures such as using contaminated needles, and the contaminated medical equipment greatly contribute to the percentage prevalence of the disease. (Wasley. A, Alter. M. J, 2000). However, the basic factors for the occurrence of the disease in different regions are undoubtedly the transfusion of the contaminated blood, use of contaminated needles by the injecting drug users and unhealthy medical practices such as using the contaminated needles, and medical equipment.
Some of the cultural practices of different regions greatly contribute to the transmission of the disease that includes tattooing, ear piercing and the other similar practices. (Kao. J. H and Chen. D. S, 2000). The important factors such as prenatal drug addiction and the transfusion of the unscreened blood are responsible for the spread of the disease. (Abdourakhmanov,D.T et. al, 1998).
Finding out the cultural factors that play a major role in the prevalence of the disease is important to establish a route through which the transmission of the disease can be controlled. The present study aims at investigating the medical and anthropological factors in various countries of the world that contribute to the transmission of the disease.