The changing epidemiology of viral hepatitis B
in Iran
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Seyed Moayed Alavian1, Farahnaz Fallahian1, Kamran Bagheri
Lankarani2
1) Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, University
of Medical Sciences, Baqiyatallah.
2) Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, University of Medical
Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence has decreased dramatically
in Iranian population during the last decade, and now our country
is classified as having low endemicity for hepatitis B infection.
Improvement of the people's knowledge about HBV risk factors,
national vaccination program since 1993 for all neonates, and
vaccination of high risk groups might justify this decrease. The
HBV vaccination started in infants in two provinces (Zanjan and
Semnan) in 1989, and in 1993 the vaccination was included in the
Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) countrywide. After 13 years
of implementation, the coverage has reached an appropriate level
from 62% in 1993 to 94% in 2005. Evaluation of risk factors in
HBV infected people is important for designing the strategies
to control the disease. Intensifying HB vaccination of high risk
groups, surveillance of hepatitis B infected subjects, and control
on health state of refugees will further decrease the frequency
of the disease in our country. Considering all possible routes
of transmission in subjects without risk factors for infection
is necessary. Changes in the pattern of transmission of new cases
of hepatitis B, inform us of changes in the epidemiology of viral
hepatitis B infection.
Key words
Hepatitis B - epidemiology - Iran - Middle East - hepatitis transmission
