Abstract
Susceptibility to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among 987 young adult male blood donors in 2 major Yemeni cities was investigated. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 10.8% ( 107 987 ) of donors and 284 (28.8%) had evidence of ongoing or past HBV infection. Hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) only was detected in 34 (3.4%) donors. Thus, 67.8% ( 669 987 ) of donors had no detectable HBV-markers indicating susceptibility to infection. The proportion of HBV-susceptible donors decreased from 70.9% ( 249 351 ) in donors aged < 25 years to 69.4% ( 334 481 ) in those aged 25–34 years and 55.5% ( 86 155 ) in donors aged > 34 years ( P = 0.002). The high proportion of susceptible young adults in a community with a high HBsAg carrier rate could be the result of changing epidemiology of hepatitis B in Yemen. Consideration should therefore be given to immunizing young adults as an adjunct to the current expanded infant immunization programme.
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