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The prevalence of virus-B hepatitis South African blacks


MC Kew
GB Miller
CM Stevenson
GM Macnab
I Bersohn

Abstract

The importance of virus-B as a cause of acute hepatitis in South African Blacks was determined by examining the serum of 147 patients during the acute stage of the illness for the presence of hepatitis-B antigen (HBAg). The antigen was found in 54% of 63 children and 65% of 83 adults with this disease. It is suggested that the relative predominance of virus-B hepatitis in Blacks is related to the high HBAg carrier rate in this population. The majority of patients with virus-B hepatitis did not give a history of parenteral exposure to the infectious agent, emphasising the importance of non·parenteral spread of virus-B.

S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1837 (1974).

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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574