An Overview of a Hepatitis B Serology Screening Check-Up Program among Thai Workers

Abstract

In Thailand, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is hyperendemic; approximately 5 million Thais are chronic HBV carriers. Here, an overview of hepatitis B serology among Thai workers who got the screening check-up program of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during January 1998 to December 2000 is reported. The data from hepatitis B serology examinations of 650 Thai workers who visited the Out-Patient Division, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during the study period for the screening program before starting work was analyzed. Among the subjects examined, 107 were HBsAg^-, anti-HBc^-; 64 were HBsAg⁺, anti-HBc⁺; and 479 were HBsAg^-, anti-HBc⁺. Not unexpectedly, in the present study, the rate of chronic hepatitis B infection among the subjects is high (9.8%). Screening for parasitic infection among this population can help decrease the development of late complications as well as rejection of laborers by their employers.