The Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus Infections in the Couples Attending a Premarital Screening Program in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

 Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infections are major global health issues and the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

 The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in couples attending a premarital screening program in Zakho city, Kurdistan region, Iraq.

 This cross-sectional study was carried out in Zakho city, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, between January and October 2019. During this period, 2123 couples were screened for HBV and HCV as a part of premarital screening. The age of couples ranged from 18 to 63 years old. ELISA test was used to detect HBsAg, HBc IgG, and HCV Ab. Hepatitis C virus Ab positivity was then confirmed by HCV RT-PCR, and all HCV positive patients were then tested for genotyping.

 Among the recruited subjects, 38/4246 (0.89%) patients were positive for HBsAg. Of these, 12/2123 (0.57%) were females, and 26/2123 (1.22%) were males. Hepatitis C virus RT-PCR confirmed HCV positivity for one female patient who was further confirmed to be infected with HCV genotype 4.

 To conclude, the present study showed a relatively low prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in the couples tested through the premarital screening program in Zakho city. The prevalence of HBV seropositivity was higher in males than females. Therefore special attention should be paid to males during prevention strategies.