Abstract :
Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a chronic lifelong infection. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
infects more than 400 million people worldwide and is common cause of liver disease and liver cancer. In
India, it is estimated that there are 40 million people chronically infected with HBV infection. The current
study was conducted to estimate the burden of HBV infection in Bidar district of North Karnataka.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology,
Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bidar. A Total 12,142 samples were tested by one step
Immunochromatographic method for rapid detection of HBsAg to diagnose the infection.
Results: Among 12,142 samples tested, 284 samples were positive for HBsAg with prevalence rate of
2.34%. Age, gender and month wise distribution of infection was studied.
Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence and burden of HBV infection in Bidar district of North
Karnataka. Which provide reference to future studies on the epidemiology of HBV infection in this region.
Keyword :
Immunochromatography, Infection, Hepatitis B, Prevalence.