title: Incidence rates of hepatitis B and C virus infections among blood donors in Hiroshima, Japan, during 10 years from 1994 to 2004.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although prevalence rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have kept decreasing in blood donors, there is little information on incidence rates of these hepatitis viruses in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 10 years from June 1994 through April 2004, 418,269 inhabitants of Hiroshima, Japan, donated blood (1,409,465 units in total). They were screened for serum markers of HBV and HCV infections, and individuals who developed de novo infections were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infection with HBV occurred at a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 1.78-4.14/100,000 person-years) and that with HCV at a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 1.06-3.01/100,000 person-years). Residual risks of transmission by transfusions, based on the relationship risk [window period (estimated at 0.15 and 0.03 years in chimpanzees inoculated with minimum infectious doses for HBV and HCV, respectively) x incidence], were 1/243,000 for HBV and 1/1,960,000 for HCV infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At present, incidence rates of HBV and HCV infections are extremely low in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan. eidcp@hirosima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizui
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagakami
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabuchi
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies