Objectives: This study estimates the prevalence of screened infections: human immunodeficiency (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) virus, hepatitis C (HCV) virus, brucellosis, and syphilis among Mongolian blood donors. Methods: This report is based on routine data collected from simple questionnaires completed by a sample of consecutive donors visiting the Blood Center between August 2004 and February 2005. Results: Seropositivity rates were as follows: HIV 0%, HBsAg 8.1% (n=185), anti-HCV 8.7% (n=195), brucellosis 3.3% (n=75), and syphilis 2% (n=44). HBsAg seropositivity was concentrated among young donors less than 20 years of age (P<0.01) while anti-HCV seropositivity tended to increase significantly with age. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV and HCV among Mongolian donors is very high and appears to be differentially distributed by age. The data suggests further studies are warranted to identify key risk factors for blood-borne infections and to develop population-specific interventions to interrupt transmission.
This sentinel study of hepatitis prevalence among Mongolian blood donors sheds considerable light on the epidemiology of hepatitis virus infection as well as the sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors associated with infection. Young age (HBsAg) and pregnancy (anti-HCV) were significant risk factors for hepatitis virus infection, indicating that improvements in education, vaccination rates, and general infection control procedures in health care institutions may reduce behavioral and nosocomial transmission.
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