Open AccessEpidemiology of hepatitis B in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Author(s) -
Zali Mr,
K Mohammad,
Arash Farhadi,
Masjedi Mr,
Ali Zargar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/1996.2.2.290
Subject(s) - epidemiology , transmission (telecommunications) , hepatitis b , medicine , islamic republic , hbsag , environmental health , viral hepatitis , socioeconomic status , hepatitis b virus , prevalence , hepatitis , virology , population , islam , geography , virus , electrical engineering , archaeology , engineering
Hepatitis B virus, a common cause of viral hepatitis, consumes a large portion of health resources in developing countries. Data obtained from the Survey of Health and Disease in the Islamic Republic of Iran were analysed with respect to hepatitis B-carrier epidemiology. Since the precise mode of transmission of hepatitis B is not well known, the study was designed to evaluate its transmission as a community-acquired disease. HBsAg tests were performed on the sera of 39 841 persons and the impact of several factors on the prevalence rate of HBV carriers was determined. The rate of hepatitis B carriers varied between zero and 3.9% with an average of 1.7%. Older males living in a village with low socioeconomic status, poor sanitation and intrafamily contact are the most important contributors to the rise of hepatitis B infection in the country