Epidemiological and cultural factors in the case of hepatitis B virus infection among Ethiopian adolescents in Israel

This paper focuses on a specific public health issue - hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among Ethiopian adolescents in Israel. HBV chronic infection, a worldwide disease leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, has been found to be 4-10 times more prevalent among Ethiopian immigrants than among other Israelis. Along with data on the current HBV serological situation and on the epidemiological background in Ethiopia, we address several socio-cultural topics that need to be dealt with in a comprehensive prevention program. Part of the epidemiological data was taken from original research done among 220 Ethiopian immigrants. The qualitative data were gathered from individual and group interviews with Ethiopians, and were interpreted from a cross-cultural anthropological, as well as from a medical perspective. From our cultural investigation, we have discovered that the theoretical category “adolescence” does not fit in neatly with any native Ethiopian category. Rather there is the need to expand the usual age period of “adolescence” to 30+ so that it can correlate with the Ethiopian perspective. Our findings are geared towards practical recommendations regarding HBV prevention for Ethiopian immigrants.