93 people found carrying hepatitis, syphilis & HIV in Kuwait

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KUWAIT CITY, June 20: According to the Deputy Director of the Social Health Department at the Ministry of Health Dr. Hassan Al-Awadhi, the pre-marital medical centers received about 9,186 people (8,226 Kuwaitis and 960 non-Kuwaitis) during the period between January 1, 2022 to April 30, 2022, reports Al-Qabas daily. During an interview, Dr. Al-Awadhi explained that about 93 people who applied for medical tests before getting married during this period were found to be suffering from infectious diseases. The infectious disease cases that were discovered during the aforementioned period include 26 infected with hepatitis B, 7 with hepatitis C, 57 with syphilis, and 3 with HIV. Some of them did not complete the procedures for obtaining certificates.

About 84 percent of those received by the centers during the aforementioned period hold a university degree or above. About 74.6 percent of them, numbering 6,858, have never been married before. About 21.6 percent are separated, numbering 1,981, and about 1098 of them, or 11.9 percent, have a family relationship. The number of current centers is five.

They are affiliated to the Department of Social Health, such as the main center in the Al-Sabah Health Zone that serves the residents of the Capital and Hawally Governorates, the Jahra Center that serves the residents of Jahra Governorate, the Khaitan Center that serves the residents of Farwaniya Governorate, and the Hatteen Center that serves the residents of Hawally and the Capital Governorates, as well as the Mubarak Al- Kabeer Center that provides services to the residents of Ahmadi Governorate.

The centers issued 4,443 certificates of completion of premarital tests, 51 of which were declared as “unsafe” and 43 certificates were not issued after both parties had performed a medical test due to the desire of one of them to cancel.

The unsafe test certificates include 16 certificates related to the presence of hepatitis B, one certificate on the presence of hepatitis C, and 15 certificates indicating the presence of syphilis. The number of discovered cases of hereditary blood diseases during the four months amounted to 862 cases, including 148 Sickle cell disease, 196 with thalassemia, and 518 other blood diseases.

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