THE EFFECT OF A NATIONWIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR MOTHER-TO-INFANT INFECTION BY HBV EVALUATED BY VIRAL MARKERS IN BLOOD DONORS IN NAGASAKI PREFECTURE

Abstract

Nagasaki Prefecture is a highly endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV). In recent years, we have identified a decrease in the incidence of positivity for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). In 1985, the Government of Japan started a nationwide prevention program for mother-to-infant infection by HBV. As blood donor is acceptable from age 16, a portion of the people who owed this program became to age with approval of blood donation. We screened 291, 587 serum samples from voluntary blood donors (170, 366 males and 121, 221 females) between 16 and 69 years of age who first visited Nagasaki and Sasebo Red Cross Blood Center from June 1990 to December 2004. The positive rate for HBsAg among blood donors by year of birth decreased from 1.67 to 0% over the years 1929 to 1988 (test of trend; p < 0. 001). No donor born from 1986 to 1988 was positive, although a decrease in the positive rate was recognized before 1985. This may be because in 1985, the Government of Japan started a prevention program for mother-to-infant infection by HBV. Shiraki has reported that this program was very effective. The present study involving the analysis of data among blood donors provides further evidence for the high efficacy of this program.