A Response to the Article “Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses and Their Associated Factors Among Military Personnel at Military Camps in Central Gondar, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study” [Response to Letter]

Dear editor

We are grateful and appreciate Fajarwati et al for their effort to respond to our research article “Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses and Their Associated Factors Among Military Personnel at Military Camps in Central Gondar, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study”.¹ Again, we are happy for the opportunity to respond to the suggestions raised in the Letter to the Editor about this publication.

The response letter raised constructive issues such as the method of HBV and HCV detection and additional investigation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) on military personnel. We would like to respond to the issue regarding the detection and quantification of HBV and HCV DNA levels in the serum. It is crucial to provide information on the HBV and HCV replication and monitoring of the infection. Our objective was to determine the presence of HBV and HCV infections in military personnel. For this reason, we have used a qualitative ELISA method of detection that could not quantify the level of antibodies in serum.²

Another concern was about the investigation of HEV on military personnel. Although HEV was previously reported in military personnel in northern Ethiopia³ and it is well informative if the presence of this virus was determined, our focus was the most prevalent hepatitis virus types in Ethiopia, such as HBV and HCV.⁴ Our research provides baseline information for the scientific community to consider further investigations that would benefit the high-risk populations of hepatitis viruses.