title: Detection of the Hepatitis C virus in a population of adults.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in adults from Criciuma-SC and to search factors associated with the viral transmission.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a health campaign, a questionnaire about factors associated to HCV transmission and tests to detect HCV were applied. A representative sample of the population was considered with 300 voluntaries. Fisher's Exact test, Mann-Whitney and Kappa tests were performed (p values < 0.05 were considered significant).
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCV was detected in 7/ 457 (1.53 %) voluntaries. Subjects with positive HCV had a mean of 5.7 (+/- 4.1 SD) sexual partners in the last 10 years, which was significantly higher than those with negative anti-HCV (mean sexual partners 2 +/- 2.5 SD) (p= 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of HCV in a voluntary population of adults from Criciuma-SC was high and there was significant association between positive anti-HCV and higher number of sexual partners.
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Brazil. gdf@unesc.net
authors.forename: Glauco Danielle
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Fagundes
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bonazza
authors.forename: Luciane Bisognin
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Ceretta
authors.forename: Alvaro José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Back
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bettiol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012725:Sexual Behavior