Trend in seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus markers in donors from Paraguay from 2012 to 2023. A retrospective approach at the national level
Keywords:
Hepatitis B, Seroprevalence, trend, blood donorsAbstract
Introduction: Hepatitis B virus infection has been declared a major public health problem by the World Health Organization. It is a potentially fatal disease. Preventing transmission through blood transfusions presents one of the greatest challenges; therefore, serological and molecular screening is performed to minimize risks. Objective: To evaluate the seroprevalence trend of hepatitis B virus markers in donors from Paraguay. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in which the seroprevalences of the central antigen (anti-HBc) and surface antigen (HBsAg) of the hepatitis B virus of adult donors registered in the National Blood Services System of Paraguay in the period 2012-2023 were analyzed. Results: From 2012 to 2023, 1.165.486 blood units were collected. The overall seroprevalence for the HBsAg marker was 0.33% (n=43,834), with a stable trend over time (r2=0.05; p=0.504). For the Anti-HBc antibody, the overall seroprevalence was 2.38% (n=27,707), with a downward trend (r2=0.80; p<0.001). Conclusion: Despite the stable and downward trends in reported seroprevalence in donors, the importance of centralizing data at the national level, the use of highly sensitive and specific detection tests, and the need to adopt preventive measures such as immunization in donors are highlighted.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nathalia Navarro, Margarita Samudio, Nelson Marqués Roa, Anibal Espínola Cano, Jimena Casco Cantero, Cecilia Gonzalez1 Vatteone, Pamela Mancuello, Leticia Rufinelli Arce, Amanda Carolina Molas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
