Brief report: Prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus infections in U.S. Air Force basic military trainees who donated blood, 2013-2016.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause significant morbidity in military service members. Prevalences of HBV and HCV infections among military recruits accessioning into the U.S. Air Force have not previously been described. The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Blood Donor Center was queried for the results of HBV and HCV screening tests among all basic military trainees who donated blood between 25 November 2013 and 16 April 2016. Other active and reserve component members were excluded. The estimated prevalences of HBV and HCV infections among recruit blood donors were 0.0098% and 0.007%, respectively. This study suggests that the overall estimated prevalence of HBV and HCV infection is much lower among U.S. Air Force basic trainees, compared to other active and reserve component members and U.S. civilian populations. HBV and HCV viral infections can have a negative impact on mission readiness and individual deployment status, and have significant costs for the military. Additional studies are needed to determine cost effectiveness of screening for viral hepatitis among military populations.