Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Iran; Viral Spread Routes in General Population and Safety Measures

Dear Editor,

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of liver related morbidity and mortality in the world; with more than 180 million infected patients (1). HCV prevalence is very low in Iran. The recent reports from Iran showed that HCV prevalence in general population was about 0.05% - 0.2% (2, 3). Due to globalization and traveling worldwide, especially to the neighboring countries, there is a chance of viral spread (4). The major factors involved in HCV spread are intravenous drug abuse, unhealthy medical practices, sharing contaminated objects such as needles and barbers' unawareness (5). Host factors are also involved in disease susceptibility, progression and viral self-clearance (6, 7). Recently, Zamani et al. (3) showed that unsterile punctures and history of infection in family members were associated with HCV spread. Despite obligatory blood screening for HCV, the prevalence of HCV infection raised dramatically in recent decades in the Middle-Eastern region. Currently, HCV prevalence in general Iranian population is very low; massive awareness campaigns should be done on a regular basis to educate general population to control the viral spread.