Hepatitis B virus prevalence in first‐time blood donors in Flanders, Belgium: Impact of universal vaccination and migration

Background Transfusion‐transmissible infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) remain a major concern for the safety of blood transfusion. This cross‐sectional study aimed to assess the trend of HBV prevalence and associated risk factors among a first‐time donor population in a low endemic country. Study Design and Methods Between 2010 and 2018, blood samples were collected from first‐time donors presented at donor collection sites of Belgian Red Cross‐Flanders. They were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibodies (anti‐HBc), and HBV DNA, HIV and hepatitis virus C (HCV) antibodies and RNA, and syphilis antibodies. Results A total of 211,331 first‐time blood donors (43.7% males, median age 25 years) were analyzed. HBsAg prevalence decreased from 0.06% in 2010 to 0.05% in 2018 (p = .004) and this declining trend was accompanied by an increased number of donors in the HBV vaccinated birth cohort (p