Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A Virus among Healthy Individuals in Birjand, Eastern Region of Iran

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an epidemiological important infectious agent in the world. HAV incidence can be controlled by cognizance of the geographic distribution pattern.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of HAV infection in Birjand.
A total of 496 healthy individuals (mean age: 39.34 ± 15.47, range: 15 - 70 years, M/F ratio: 0.68) were randomly enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Demographic data were collected and the presence of anti-HAV total antibody was determined by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Overall, the prevalence of positive serum anti-HAV antibody was 92.78%, however, the rate for 15 - 24 years subjects was 69%. There was a significant positive correlation between presence of anti-HAV antibody with age (P The result of this study showed a high prevalence of HAV antibody in most people, except for young adults, which can be an alarming sign for a higher rate of complicated HAV infections in the future and needs a proper strategy.