Hepatitis B Seroprevalence Study 1999.
Hepatitis B is a disease of public health importance in Singapore. A study was conducted in 1999 to estimate the overall and gender-, age- and ethnic-specific prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen in the Singapore population. A cross-sectional sample of the Singapore population constituting 4,698 Singapore residents aged 18-69 years was surveyed. This was the first time a large-scale study has been conducted to assess the hepatitis B seroprevalence rates in the Singapore population. The overall prevalence of the HBsAg in the general population was estimated to be about 4%. About 13% of the HBsAg carriers were also HBeAg positive. Only about 40% of the population had immunity to hepatitis B virus either through immunisation or from previous exposure to the virus. There was still a large proportion (60%) of the population who had no immunity, especially the younger age group of 18-29 years where only 28% had immunity. There is a need to strengthen the hepatitis B immunisation programme to reach out to those who have no immunity, especially the young adults.
James
L
L
Communicable Diseases Branch, Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore. Lyn_JAMES@moh.gov.sg
Fong
C W
CW
Foong
B H
BH
Wee
M K
MK
Chow
A
A
Shum
E
E
Chew
S K
SK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens