Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen in Jordan

ABSTRACT

To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen among the Jordanian population. A total of 1066 healthy individuals were randomly selected using clustering, systematic and simple random sampling methods. The overall response rate was 75% and 775 individuals were actually included in the study. The study revealed a prevalence rate of hepatitis B surface antigen [HbsAg] of 1.7% among the study population. A higher prevalence rate was found among males than females. The history of hospital admission was the most important risk factor for acquisition of hepatitis B. Further studies are needed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B by determining hepatitis B antibody markers in addition to HbsAg