%0 Journal Article
%T Situaci¨®n actual de la hepatitis B en Chile Present situation of hepatitis B in Chile
%A Ana Pereira S
%A Mar¨ªa Teresa Valenzuela B
%A Judith Mora
%A Lilian Vera
%J Revista m¨¦dica de Chile
%D 2008
%I Sociedad M¨¦dica de Santiago
%X Background: Hepatitis B virus infection generates carriers and 8% will evolve to a chronic phase. Aim: To perform a compilation of studies on hepatitis B in Chile and other sources of information to est¨ªmate the impact of this disease in our country. Material and methods: Published and unpublished evidence about the infection, in the general population and risk groups in our country, was compiled and reviewed critically. Informal interviews to experts, revisi¨®n of the mandatory notification book of the Ministry of Health and collection of data from  aboratories that study hepatitis B virus, were also carried out. Results: The seroprevalence of chronic carriers in blood donors is nearly O.3%. Among risk groups such as health care personnel, the figure is O.7%, among homosexuals 29%, among HIV positive patients 30%, among sexual workers 2% and among children with chronic hemodialysis, 9%. Prevalence rate according to notified cases in 2004 was 1.8 x 100,000 habitants. Detection of viral hepatitis B surface antigen in  aboratories occurs in 0.2% of donors and 1.396 of non donors. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus, the lack of notification, and the introduction of hepatitis B vaccine to our Regular Program of Immunizations, are arguments to develop in Chile a hepatitis B and C surveillance system
%K Hepatitis B
%K Hepatitis B virus surface antigen P31c
%K HIV
%U http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-98872008000600006