Seroprevalence of Antibody to Hepatitis E Virus in Voluntary Blood Donors in Northern Thailand

We report the results of seroepidemiological study of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in 636 voluntary blood donors in four Provinces of Northern Thailand. The average seroprevalence of anti-HEV was 8.7%, which is lower than previous reports from HEV endemic areas and even in the central Thailand. No significant differences of the prevalence were found geographically and also by age and sex. Our findings suggest that Northern Thailand belongs to an intermediate prevalence group of HEV infection between non-endemic and endemic regions and the improvement of socioeconomic and hygienic status might control the spreading of HEV infection in this area