-Vaccination against hepatitis A-.
A pediatric form of hepatitis A vaccine is available with an immunization schedule of three injections within one year followed by booster injections every 10 years. This schedule gives a marked elevation of protecting antibodies and has a good protective effect against the symptomatic forms of hepatitis A. The vaccine is administered intramuscularly in the deltoid and is usually well tolerated. Major changes have occurred in the epidemiology of hepatitis A in France in the last decades. While many children were affected 20 years ago, hepatitis A is nowadays essentially observed in adolescents and young adults, although there remain symptomatic cases, with very few fulminating cases, among children. Considering the low risk of symptomatic cases, the usefulness of a systematic immunization against hepatitis A in children is questionable, with the exception of polytransfused children and handicapped children living in community. For the travelling children, hepatitis A immunization must be decided according to the travel conditions and the epidemiology of hepatitis A in the visited country.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007223:Infant; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D014195:Travel; D014611:Vaccination; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage