A slight decline in the prevalence rate of viral hepatitis has been recorded in Kyrgyzstan compared with 2019, a study published in the journal Healthcare of Kyrgyzstan says.
At the same time, researchers emphasize that the overall level of the disease remains high, and the country continues to be among those with high endemicity for viral hepatitis.
The study sample included 12,661 people and was calculated in accordance with the protocol of the World Health Organization.
Residents aged from 0 to 70 and older participated in the research. Participants aged 0–29 accounted for 37.6 percent of the sample, those aged 30–59 made up 44.1 percent, and people over 60 accounted for 18.3 percent.
During the study, 371 positive cases of hepatitis B were detected among adults. Among children aged 0 to 9, the share of positive cases was 0.66 percent.
The highest prevalence of hepatitis B was recorded in Osh region and the city of Osh, where the rate reached 4.09 percent. The lowest figure was observed in Talas region at 2.13 percent.
A relatively high prevalence of hepatitis B was also recorded among people aged from 30 to 60, while lower rates were observed among children and teenagers under 19.
Experts believe these results reflect the effectiveness of vaccination against hepatitis B, which was included in the national immunization schedule in 2001.
