Approaches to HBV transfusion safety

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)has been a concern for transfusion safety for many years.After the discovery of HB surface antigen as a marker of infectious HBV in 1970 and the development of assays to detect it,blood safety improved considerably.Over the past 40 years HBsAg assays have improved in both sensitivity

Hepatitis B virus （HBV） has been a concern for transfusion safety for many years. After the discovery of HB surface antigen as a marker of infectious HBV in 1970 and the development of assays to detect it,blood safety improved considerably. Over the past 40 years HBsAg assays have improved in both sensitivity and specificity reaching a detection level of 0. 1 ng/ml. However, evidence of transfusion transmission of HBV continued to be reported in both high and low preva- lence areas, the former including China. For instance,