Hepatitis B and C infection in first- time blood donors in Karachi - a possible subgroup for sentinel surveillance

Hepatitis B virus [HBV] and C virus [HCV] are major public health concerns in Pakistan. We conducted a baseline analysis of first- time replacement blood donors at the blood bank of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in the year 2000 with the view to developing low- cost sentinel surveillance for these infections. Among 7325 such donors, 264 [3.6%] were positive for anti- HCV and 344 [4.7%] for HBsAg. HCV seroprevalence was significantly positively associated with age and lower education. Those speaking Sindhi or other minor languages had a significantly higher prevalence of HBV infection. Blood bank data could provide reliable information to monitor trends in prevalence of these infections