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Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of reactions caused by blood donations in Iran as well as exploring three potential scenarios of the worst, moderate, and the best situations for adverse reactions among Iranian blood donations by specifying the under-reporting rate. Methods: There are two different designs; first, the ecological study was coducted to estimate the blood donation adverse effects by using the data registered in the donor vigilance part of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO). Second, the cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate under-reporting in the data. For the cross-sectional study, 2408 donors were selected randomly in three cities. Results: In general, based on the estimations of this study, adverse reactions to blood donation in Iran is 2%(CI 95%, 1.4-2.6%). Local and systemic reactions estimated are 1.7%(CI 95%, 1.2-2.2) and 0.3%(0.1-0.5), respectively. Based on the national report, in general, adverse reactions to blood donation in Iran is 0.5(CI 95% 0.4-0.6). Local and systemic reactions estimated are 0.38%(CI 95% 0.28-0.48) and 0.03%(0.0.02-0.04), respectively. Conclusion: Adverse reactions may vary from region to region in Iran, but in total, there is a lot of under-reporting in the incidence of adverse reactions to blood donation in Iran, most of which are related to local reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental disorder following traumatic events. The present study was conducted to understand the prevalence of PTSD after the earthquake in Iran and Pakistan. The review includes all articles published from inception to March 2019. The pooled prevalence for overall PTSD was 55.6% (95% CI: 49.9–61.3). It was 60.2% (95% CI: 54.1–66.3) and 49.2% (95% CI: 39.4–59) for Iranian and Pakistani survivors, respectively. Women experienced higher incidence of PTSD than men. The variation of PTSD based on the clinical interview was lower than the self-report approach. The interval time between the earthquakes and the assessment showed that the prevalence of PTSD decreased over time. The prevalence of PTSD in Iran and Pakistan was higher than the global average, and the rate of the disorder in Iran was higher than in Pakistan. Sex, method of assessment, and time lag between the occurrence of disaster and assessment of PTSD affect the prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) decreased nationally from 57 % in 2015 to 32 % in 2022. We aimed to investigate potential explanations for this decline., Methods: Changes in DBS HCV Ab prevalence were investigated by redefining positive cases as those with those with either a positive HCV Ab test result or a self-reported history of ever having HCV treatment (modified prevalence), examining HCV Ab prevalence by birth and age cohorts, and assessing trends in key risk behaviours., Results: Overall prevalence of DBS HCV Ab declined rapidly and significantly from 57 % in 2015 to 32 % in 2022 (p < 0.001) however modified HCV Ab prevalence remained stable over time (85 % and 88 % in 2015 and 2022, respectively, p = 0.357). The proportion of participants with negative HCV Ab and self-reported HCV infection increased from 20 % in 1995 to 40 % in 2022 (p < 0.001) and the proportion with negative HCV Ab and lifetime HCV treatment increased from 3 % in 1999 to 67 % in 2022 (p < 0.001). We also observed a decreasing trend in DBS HCV Ab prevalence in all birth and age cohorts with a noticeable acceleration in the decline commensurate with the advent of HCV DAA treatment. A long-term decreasing trend was also observed for key risk behaviours (p < 0.001) however the short-term trend was not significant for recent receptive syringe sharing., Conclusion: The temporal decline in HCV Ab prevalence appears related to reduced sensitivity of DBS HCV Ab detection with viral clearance following treatment. Since 2016, HCV treatment uptake has increased markedly including among people who inject drugs. In this context, continuing to monitor HCV Ab prevalence by DBS testing is problematic, with a shift to surveillance of active infection the most relevant to guide policy and practice in this setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)