THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES

Vidović, Marija; Rizvan, Pero; Keža, Anita; Ćurlin, Marina; Vasilj, Ivan

doi:10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

Health Bulletin, Vol. 11 No. 1, 2025.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES

Marija Vidović orcid.org/0009-0000-3866-373X ; Klinički zavod za nuklearnu medicinu KBC Split, 21 000 Split, Republika Hrvatska *
Pero Rizvan ; Teaching Institute of Public Health of Split-Dalmatia County, 21 000 Split, Croatia
Anita Keža ; Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Marina Ćurlin ; Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ivan Vasilj ; Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar, 88 000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

* Corresponding author.

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APA 6th Edition

Vidović, M., Rizvan, P., Keža, A., Ćurlin, M. & Vasilj, I. (2025). THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES. Zdravstveni glasnik, 11 (1), 44-54. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

MLA 8th Edition

Vidović, Marija, et al. "THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES." Zdravstveni glasnik, vol. 11, no. 1, 2025, pp. 44-54. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44. Accessed 30 May 2026.

Chicago 17th Edition

Vidović, Marija, Pero Rizvan, Anita Keža, Marina Ćurlin and Ivan Vasilj. "THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES." Zdravstveni glasnik 11, no. 1 (2025): 44-54. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

Harvard

Vidović, M., et al. (2025). 'THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES', Zdravstveni glasnik, 11(1), pp. 44-54. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

Vancouver

Vidović M, Rizvan P, Keža A, Ćurlin M, Vasilj I. THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES. Zdravstveni glasnik [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2026 May 30];11(1):44-54. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

IEEE

M. Vidović, P. Rizvan, A. Keža, M. Ćurlin and I. Vasilj, "THE INCIDENCE OF HEPATITIS B OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA AND SPLIT-DALMATIA COUNTIES", Zdravstveni glasnik, vol.11, no. 1, pp. 44-54, 2025. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.47960/2303-8616.2025.1.11.44

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver that can present as both an acute and
chronic disease, caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Despite the availability of an
effective vaccine and antiviral therapies capable of suppressing viral replication , hepatitis B
remains a significant public health concern. The aim of the study is to collect, statistically
analyze, and compare data on age, gender, and the number of hepatitis B cases in the
Herzegovina-Neretva (HNC) and Split-Dalmatia (SDC) Counties.
Participants and methods: In this retrospective study, data were collected on the number of
inhabitants and the number of registered patients with hepatitis B in the areas of these two
counties, as well as demographic data of patients (age, gender) for the period from January 1,
2014, to December 31, 2024.
Results: In HNC region, 11 individuals with hepatitis B were registered during the study
period, with nearly equal numbers of women and men. The affected men were significantly
younger than the women (p<0.05). In the SDC, 55 individuals with hepatitis B infection were
registered during the same period, with significantly more men than women (p<0.05), while
there was no statistically significant difference in the age of the patients (p>0.05). The
average annual rate of reported hepatitis B infections in the observed period in the HNC was
0.42 %000, while in the SDC, it was 0.96 %000,. The overall notification rate of cases in the
SDC was 12.21 %000,, significantly higher than in the HNC, where it was 4,66 %000,
(p<0.05).
Conclusion: It was determined that both counties have a low incidence rate of hepatitis B. The
epidemiological data on hepatitis B obtained in this study are important for guiding
prevention and treatment of the disease in the areas studied and contribute to one of the World
Health Organization (WHO) goals, which is the elimination of hepatitis worldwide by 2030.