The Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) Among Blood Donors Presenting to the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization in Sanandaj, Iran

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is endemic in Iran. Detection of the seroprevalence of HAV is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of infection control strategies in the population. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HAV among blood donors as a representative sample of the general population. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 268 blood samples were randomly selected from donors, presenting to the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization in Sanandaj, Iran, in 2019. The collected sera were measured for anti-HAV antibodies (IgG and IgM), using ELISA assays. Also, demographic data, including age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, and blood donation status, were collected. The test results and demographic data were analyzed in STATA software. Results: The mean age of the blood donors was 37.79 +/- 10.64 years, and 88.43% of them were male. Out of 268 blood samples, 218 (81.34%) were positive for anti-HAV antibodies. The antibody positivity was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.014) and marital status (P = 0.027). The majority of anti-HAV positive cases were found among farmers and ranchers (93.33%) (P = 0.045). Conclusions: A large proportion of blood donors had anti-HAV antibodies and were immune to HAV infection. Therefore, HAV was endemic in the study area.