Seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV in Persons Referred to Hamadan Behavioral Counseling Center, West of Iran

BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are three important prevalent infections all over the world. The aim of this study was to determine seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV infections and high risk behaviors in persons who referred to the behavioral counseling center of Hamadan, west of Iran. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study which was done on 379 persons who referred to the behavioral counseling center of Hamadan. All persons after obtaining the informed consent were tested for serologic markers including HBs Ag, HCV-Ab and HIV-Ab by ELISA and western blot methods. RESULTS Of the 379 persons, 71.5 % (271 cases) were male and 28.5% (108 cases) were female. HIV infection was reported in 4% (15) of persons. HBV and HCV infections were reported in 2.9% (11 cases) and 35.6% (135 cases), respectively. The most common high risk behaviors were injection drug user and history of prison with 52.5% (199 cases) and 40.4% (153 cases), respectively. CONCLUSION According to the results, injection drug users and prisoners are at the highest risk for HCV, HIV and HBV infections.