Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A virus infection among schoolchildren in Taiwan

✍ Scribed by Chin-Feng Tsai; Ding-Bang Lin; Shiuan-Chih Chen; Yih-Hsin Chang; Chien-Yi Chen; Jye-Bin Lin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 75 KB
• Volume: 83
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.22000

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Taiwan was a hyperendemic area for hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection before 1980. The aim of this study was to examine the association between seropositivity of antibodies against HAV (anti‐HAV) by a community‐based survey. School children from 10 elementary and 3 junior high schools, as well as staff members who worked at the above schools in central Taiwan were selected at random in this study. Anti‐HAV was tested in sera of 1,954 healthy schoolchildren (aged 7–15 years old) and 254 teachers by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Schoolchildren had a low prevalence of anti‐HAV (2.3%) in contrast to the high seroprevalence in their teachers (52%). The seropositive rates of HAV antibody among the study subjects were increasing with age. No significant differences of anti‐HAV seroprevalence among the study subjects were observed when they were stratified by gender, geographical area, household members, and parental education. Whereas, the anti‐HAV seroprevalence was significantly higher in schoolchildren who were either aboriginal or living in areas without a supply of drinking tap‐water. The seroprevalence of HAV data among the healthy pediatric population would be helpful to evaluate the need for mass vaccination policies. J. Med. Virol. 83:196–200, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.