Title : HCV investigations among Health Professionals and Cafeteria Workers; a comparative study between ELISA and RIBA in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver disease, and is responsible for substantial worldwide mortality and morbidity. For the first time in a Saudi population, blood from healthy individuals (605 healthcare professionals and 133 cafeteria workers) was analysed for HCV infections using ELISA. Ten of these 738 healthy individuals tested positive for HCV. These 10 blood samples were then re-tested using recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). Of these, 9 proved RIBA -ve, and one was RIBA +ve. We conclude our results demonstrate a need to develop a structured program to raise appropriate HCV awareness among the general population, and in particular, the curricula of health colleges should be upgraded to address these issues as early as possible.