[Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections among individuals in the State of Pará].

Hepatitis B and C continue to be important public health problems in Brazil. In this study, the prevalence of serological markers for hepatitis B and C in individuals from the State of Pará, attended at the Central Public Health Laboratory of Pará between January 2002 and December 2005, was determined. 11,282 tests to investigate HBsAg, 2,342 for anti-HBc and 5,542 for anti-HCV were performed. The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.6% and it was predominantly found in the age range of 20 to 29 years old, while anti-HBC was observed in 37.7% of the subjects. The prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus was 3.6% and it was predominantly found in individuals over 50 years old. Thus, the frequencies of the markers found in Pará were higher than many other states in Brazil, hence suggesting that there is a need for public health measures of greater effectiveness for combating these illnesses in this region.