{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T21:29:09Z","timestamp":1792013349300,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO\/EMRO)","issue":"8","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["East Mediterr Health J."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is a major health concern globally, with regional and national variations that require context-specific analyses.\nAim: To assess trends, including age- and gender-specific variations, of hepatitis B virus incidence in Iraq from 2012 to 2022.\nMethods: We analysed national surveillance data from 2012 to 2022 on confirmed hepatitis B virus cases among all age groups in Iraq. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate the annual percentage change and average annual percentage change in incidence.\nResults: Annual incidence decreased from 9.7 per 100 000 population in 2012 to 3.5 in 2022. Incidence was consistently higher among males, however, joinpoint regression showed a significant decrease in incidence among males (-13.8%) and females (-14.9%). The lowest decrease (-41.1%) occurred after 2017 among those aged 0\u20134 years. Incidence among the 5\u201314 years age group peaked in 2014 and decreased thereafter (-10.8%). Among individuals aged 15\u201344 years, incidence increased until 2016 and then decreased significantly (-18.9%). Among those aged &gt;45, incidence increased until 2015 and then stabilised.\nConclusion: Age- and gender-specific interventions are needed to strengthen hepatitis B prevention and control in Iraq.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.26719\/2025.31.8.486","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]],"date-time":"2025-08-27T13:54:21Z","timestamp":1756302861000},"page":"486-493","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Ten-year analysis of hepatitis B incidence in Iraq"],"prefix":"10.26719","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"Mohammed A.","family":"Jalal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Koorosh","family":"Etemad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manoochehr","family":"Karami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mahshid","family":"Namdari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faris","family":"Lami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taqi Mohammed Jwad","family":"Taher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11263","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]},"container-title":["Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/applications.emro.who.int\/EMHJ\/V31\/08\/1020-3397-2025-3108-486-493-eng.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]],"date-time":"2025-08-27T13:54:21Z","timestamp":1756302861000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/applications.emro.who.int\/EMHJ\/V31\/08\/1020-3397-2025-3108-486-493-eng.pdf"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26719\/2025.31.8.486","relation":{},"ISSN":["1020-3397","1687-1634"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1020-3397","type":"print"},{"value":"1687-1634","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]}}}