Prevalence and risk factors for warts among slaughterhouse workers

This study was conducted in three animal slaughterhouses in Asir Province, southern region, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of warts among the workers of slaughterhouses and to identify possible risk factors of developing warts associated with work environment and workers' characteristics. Data were collected through interview questionnaire and clinical examination. The questionnaire included items on socio-demographic, occupational and clinical characteristics of the workers. Descriptive statistics, bivariates statistics and multivariate logistic regression model were used in data analysis. All 71 workers were males with a mean age of 37 +/- 9.7 years. The overall prevalence of warts was 42.2%. Heavily exposed workers had a higher prevalence (54%) (P = 0.02). Workers with other skin lesions were at a higher risk of developing warts (OR = 4.3, 95% C.I. 1.6-11.7). It was found that exposure to meat might be necessary for development of warts. Working environment could facilitate the development and transmission of warts among slaughterers. Regular monitoring of workers with skin lesions other than warts was recommended. Workers with recurrent warts were recommended to be reassigned for jobs with lighter exposure.