Prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis B and C infection among Mongolian blood donors.

Background: Mongolia has one of the highest rates of viral hepatitis infections worldwide yet risk factors have been largely unstudied. This sentinel study of hepatitis infection in Mongolia determined the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) among a sample of blood donors and identified demographic and behavioral factors associated with hepatitis infection.

Study Design And Methods: Data were collected by interview from 923 Ministry of Health Blood Center donors between August 2004 and February 2005.

Agreement in self-reported personal risk factor information collected by different modes in Mongolia.

This study compares two methods (a self-administered paper survey and a face-to-face interview) of collecting information about personal risk behaviours important for studies of HIV and other blood-borne pathogen transmissions in a developing country. In the framework of an epidemiological study conducted among 2504 donors in the Blood Center at the Ministry of Health, Mongolia, 2250 participants completed a short paper survey and 923 participants were interviewed concerning risk factors for hepatitis infections. A total of 669 individuals completed both surveys.