A High Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Seropositive Blood Donors in Chiang Mai, Thailand

We report the results of serological survey of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections among the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive and seronegative blood donors in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Anti-HCV were positive in 17 out of 276 anti-HIV seropositive blood donors (6.2%) and six out of 844 anti-HIV seronegative blood donors (0.7%). HBs-Ag were positive in 20 out of 276 anti-HIV seropositive blood donors (7.2%) and 68 out of 844 anti-HIV seronegative blood donors (8.1%). These findings suggest that anti-HIV seropositive population belongs to a high risk group of HCV infection and there are similar transmission routes between HIV and HCV infections