Virology Journal (Apr 2011)

Prevalence of active HCV infection among the blood donors of Khyber Pakhtunkwa and FATA region of Pakistan and evaluation of the screening tests for anti-HCV

  • Khan Sanaullah,
  • Rehman Muti U,
  • Munir Iqbal,
  • Rehman Latif U,
  • Iqbal Aqib,
  • Ahmad Naeem U,
  • Ali Ijaz,
  • Khan Najib U,
  • Ali Sajid,
  • Siddique Lubna,
  • Swati Zahoor A

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-422X-8-154
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
p. 154

Abstract

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Abstract Hepatitis C is a fatal liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. In this study, blood donors, from various districts of the KPK province and the federally administered tribal area (FATA) of Pakistan were tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA by ICT (Immuno-chromatographic test), ELISA and RT-PCR. Out of the 7148 blood donors, 224 (3.13%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies by ICT, 135 (1.89%) by ELISA while 118 (1.65%) blood donors had active HCV infection as detected by RT-PCR. We suggest that ELISA should be used for anti-HCV screening in public sector hospitals and health care units.

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