@article{fdi:010086874,
  title = {{E}stimating the burden of hepatitis {B} virus infection in {L}aos between 2020 and 2021 : a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey},
  author = {{S}itbounlang, {P}. and {D}eharo, {E}ric and {L}atthaphasavang, {V}atthanaphone and {M}archio, {A}. and {S}oukhsakhone, {C}. and {S}oinxay, {V}. and {M}ayxay, {M}. and {S}teenkeste, {N}. and {V}incelot, {P}. and {B}ertani, {S}t{\'e}phane and {P}alamy, {S}. and {P}aboriboune, {P}. and {P}ineau, {P}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{B}ackground {L}aos is considered highly endemic for persistent infection with hepatitis {B} virus ({HBV}). {T}o eliminate this burden, it has gradually implemented universal anti-hepatitis {B} immunisation of newborns over the past two decades. {M}ethods {U}sing {VIKIA} ({R}) {HB}s{A}g, a rapid test for the qualitative detection of the {HBV} surface antigen, we conducted between {S}ep 1st, 2020 and {A}ug 31st, 2021 the largest prospective prevalence survey ever in {L}aos. {T}his survey included blood donors ({BD}, n = 42,277), patients attending care in capital and provincial hospitals (n = 37,347) including attending mothers (n = 20,548), {HIV}-infected patients (n = 7439, recruited from 2009 to 2020), students from the {H}ealth {S}ciences {U}niversity (n = 609), and outpatients (n = 350) coming for diagnosis at the {C}enter {I}nfectiology {L}ao-{C}hristophe {M}erieux in {V}ientiane. {I}n total, 88,022 persons were tested, representing approximately 1.22% of the national population. {T}o reach a reasonable estimate of {HB}s{A}g prevalence in {L}aos, we segmented the population according to three variables, age (=20 years as a cut-off), sex, and geographical origin. {BD} values were used to estimate {HB}s{A}g prevalence in patients aged <20 while hospital survey prevalence was used to estimate the prevalence in those aged older than 20 years. {F}indings {W}e observed an {HB}s{A}g seroprevalence ranging from 2.6% in blood donors to 8.0% in {HIV}-infected patients. {I}n {BD}, men were significantly more at risk to be carriers than women ({RR} = 1.2, {P} = 0.00063). {F}or {BD}, attendingmothers, or {HIV}-infected patients, {HB}s{A}g was significantly more prevalent in northern {L}aos (5.1-8.4%) than in central (2.0-8.1%) or southern parts of the country (2.2- 6.9%), thereby delineating a {N}orth-to-{S}outh gradient. {I}nterpretation {W}e considered that {HB}s{A}g prevalence probably ranges between 5.0% and 6.0% of the total population. {T}hus, we consider that {L}aos may no longer be highly endemic for chronic {HBV} infection but rather a country with intermediate endemicity.},
  keywords = {{H}epatitis {B} virus ; {S}outheast {A}sia ; {L}aos ; {E}ndemic country ; {U}niversal ; {I}mmunization ; {LAOS}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {e{C}linical{M}edicine},
  volume = {52},
  numero = {},
  pages = {101582 [12 p.]},
  year = {2022},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101582},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086874},
}