Socio-demographic Characteristics as Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Pregnant Women in Iraq

Socio-demographic Characteristics as Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Pregnant Women in Iraq

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health, affecting approximately 180 million persons worldwide. It was documented that HCV are accounting for 70%-90% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases worldwide. Interestingly, Ly et al. predicted that by year 2020, the annual death rate due to liver cirrhosis or HCC is expected to be around 18,000 persons. HCV infection considered as a significant major public health burden in both industrialized and developing countries. However, region specific variation in prevalence of HCV infection was detected with the highest prevalence were (15-20%) in Egypt.