Abstract
Worldwide several factors have been reported to influence the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) including the geographic areas and the type of individuals screened. The prevalence of positive HCV antibody in blood donors was noted to be 0.2% in developed and 1.5-83% in developing countries and 15-70% in patients with history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) thalassaemia haemophilia and haemodialysis. In the Middle East the prevalence in blood donors was reported to be higher in Egyptians (15.8%) compared with Saudis (1.7%) or Lebanese (0.11%). Perinatal transmission of HCV is a recently recognised mode of HCV infection. The risk of mother to infant transmission of HCV also varies depending on geographic location maternal viral load and the presence of certain risk factors such as IVDU multiple sexual partners or coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus. Studies done on pregnant women have revealed variable HCV antibody prevalence exemplified by the 2.5% in Taiwan 0.9% in Italy and 0% in Saudi Arabia. (excerpt)
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