Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus specific antibodies among Iraqi children with thalassaemia

• Published in: Eastern Mediterranean health journal Vol. 12; no. 1-2; pp. 204 - 210
• Main Authors: Al-Kubaisy, W A, Al-Naib, K T, Habib, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Egypt World Health Organization 01.01.2006
• Subjects: Blood Donors; Child; Child Welfare - statistics & numerical data; Child, Preschool; Children; Comorbidity; Control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Donor Selection; Genotype; Health aspects; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C - blood; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C - etiology; Hepatitis C - prevention & control; Hepatitis C - virology; Hepatitis C Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis C virus; Hospitals, Teaching; Humans; Immunoblotting; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Infection Control; Iraq - epidemiology; Population Surveillance; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Risk factors; RNA, Viral - analysis; RNA, Viral - genetics; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Thalassemia; Thalassemia - complications; Thalassemia - epidemiology; Thalassemia - therapy; Transfusion Reaction; Urban Health - statistics & numerical data; Iraq
• ISSN: 1020-3397; 1020-3397

The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) specific antibodies and HCV genotypes distribution were studied among 559 Iraqi children with thalassaemia in receipt of repeated blood transfusions. HCV-specific antibodies were detected in 376 (67.3%) serum samples using third-generation enzyme immunoassay and confirmatory immunoblot assays. Of 78 randomly selected sera, 48 (61.5%) were HCV-RNA positive. HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, 4 and mixed 1b and 4 were demonstrated in 13 (27.1%), 11 (22.9%), 17 (35.4%) and 7 (14.6%) sera respectively. Strict measures for the controlling the spread of HCV are needed by introducing advanced techniques for blood donor screening.