Table 1.
Characteristics of study participants and outcome of HSV-1 and HSV-2 serological testing
| Characteristics | Tested | HSV-1 antibody positive | HSV-2 antibody positive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N | %a (95% CI)a | Chi-square p value | N | %a (95% CI)a | Chi-square p value | |
| Age (years) | |||||||
| ≤ 29 | 746 (28.6) | 598 | 81.8 (78.8–84.6) | 0.228 | 65 | 9.0 (7.0–11.3) | 0.017 |
| 30–39 | 968 (37.1) | 808 | 84.3 (82.0–86.4) | 107 | 11.2 (9.4–13.3) | ||
| 40–49 | 547 (20.9) | 467 | 86.5 (83.4–89.3) | 73 | 12.9 (10.2–16.0) | ||
| 50–59 | 260 (10.0) | 219 | 85.0 (79.1–89.7) | 38 | 14.1 (9.5–19.9) | ||
| 60+ | 91 (3.5) | 79 | 87.0 (73.7–95.1) | 17 | 22.2 (11.2–37.1) | ||
| Nationality | |||||||
| All other nationalitiesb | 231 (8.8) | 217 | 95.4 (91.5–97.9) | < 0.001 | 52 | 23.2 (17.5–29.9) | < 0.001 |
| Bangladeshi | 626 (24.0) | 568 | 91.4 (89.1–93.4) | 73 | 11.2 (8.9–13.9) | ||
| Egyptian | 90 (3.4) | 85 | 96.3 (89.7–99.2) | 7 | 7.2 (2.7–15.1) | ||
| Filipino | 102 (3.9) | 78 | 75.7 (64.0–85.2) | 9 | 8.6 (3.2–17.7) | ||
| Indian | 717 (27.5) | 510 | 72.6 (69.2–75.7) | 87 | 12.7 (10.4–15.2) | ||
| Nepalese | 565 (21.6) | 505 | 90.2 (87.5–92.5) | 44 | 7.6 (5.5–10.1) | ||
| Pakistani | 136 (5.2) | 125 | 92.1 (86.0–96.2) | 12 | 8.8 (4.5–15.2) | ||
| Sri Lankan | 145 (5.6) | 83 | 58.8 (49.4–67.8) | 16 | 10.1 (5.3–17.0) | ||
| QRCS center (catchment area within Qatar) | |||||||
| Fereej Abdel Aziz (Doha-East) | 612 (23.4) | 496 | 82.0 (78.7–85.0) | 0.354 | 58 | 9.6 (7.4–12.2) | 0.358 |
| Hemaila (South-West; “Industrial Area”) | 966 (37.0) | 813 | 84.9 (82.6–97.0) | 113 | 11.8 (10.0–13.9) | ||
| Mesaimeer (Doha-South) | 800 (30.6) | 672 | 85.0 (82.4–87.4) | 93 | 11.7 (9.6–14.1) | ||
| Zekreet (North-West) | 234 (9.0) | 190 | 82.8 (70.6–91.4) | 36 | 15.5 (7.4–27.4) | ||
| Educational attainment | |||||||
| Primary or lower | 628 (25.0) | 561 | 89.5 (86.8–91.8) | < 0.001 | 88 | 13.5 (10.9–16.5) | 0.128 |
| Intermediate | 429 (17.1) | 377 | 90.0 (86.8–92.7) | 48 | 10.2 (7.5–13.4) | ||
| Secondary/High school/Vocational | 1088 (43.3) | 880 | 82.5 (80.1–84.7) | 118 | 11.5 (9.6–13.5) | ||
| University | 369 (14.7) | 265 | 71.3 (66.0–76.1) | 35 | 8.8 (6.0–12.3) | ||
| Occupation | |||||||
| Professional workersc | 136 (5.3) | 92 | 67.2 (58.1–75.4) | < 0.001 | 11 | 8.1 (3.9–14.3) | 0.113 |
| Food & beverage workers | 91 (3.6) | 71 | 80.0 (69.6–88.1) | 10 | 11.3 (5.3–20.3) | ||
| Administration workers | 82 (3.2) | 61 | 71.8 (60.5–81.4) | 2 | 2.6 (0.3–9.2) | ||
| Retail workers | 171 (6.7) | 142 | 87.2 (81.1–91.9) | 19 | 11.3 (7.0–17.1) | ||
| Transport workers | 430 (16.8) | 348 | 80.9 (76.8–84.6) | 58 | 12.3 (9.3–15.9) | ||
| Cleaning workers | 104 (4.1) | 91 | 90.0 (82.4–95.1) | 11 | 8.2 (3.6–15.5) | ||
| Technical and construction workersd | 1314 (51.3) | 1123 | 86.5 (84.5–88.2) | 151 | 11.6 (10.0–13.5) | ||
| Security workers | 60 (2.3) | 56 | 94.9 (85.9–98.9) | 6 | 10.2 (3.8–20.8) | ||
| Other workerse | 175 (6.8) | 148 | 86.2 (80.2–91.0) | 23 | 13.4 (8.7–19.4) | ||
| Total (%, 95% CI) | 2612 (100.0) | 2171 | 84.2 (82.8–85.6) | NA | 300 | 11.4 (10.1–12.6) | NA |
CI, confidence interval; HSV-1, herpes simplex virus type 1; HSV-2, herpes simplex virus type 2; NA, not applicable; QRCS, Qatar Red Crescent Society
aPercentage of positive out of those tested weighted by age, nationality, and QRCS center. Equivocal specimens were excluded from the analysis
bIncludes all other nationalities of craft and manual workers residing in Qatar
cIncludes architects, designers, engineers, operation managers, and supervisors among other professions
dIncludes carpenters, construction workers, crane operators, electricians, foremen, maintenance/air conditioning/cable technicians, masons, mechanics, painters, pipe-fitters, plumbers, and welders among other professions
eIncludes barbers, firefighters, gardeners, farmers, fishermen, and physical fitness trainers among other professions