Screening for hepatitis B virus infection among refugees arriving in the United States, 1979-1991

Abstract

Because hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is highly endemic in several areas of the world, both the prevalence of and risk for HBV infection are substantially greater among persons emigrating from these areas to the United States than for the overall U.S. population. In 1985, federal funds were made available to supplement ongoing state and local health department refugee-screening programs and to promote serologic screening for HBV infection in pregnant Indochinese women and household contacts of these female HBV carriers among persons identified by the Department of State as refugees entering the United States. This report summarizes data collected during 1979-1991 by selected screening programs that implemented universal hepatitis B (HB) screening at different times.