title: Hepatitis A booster vaccination: is there a need?
abstract: Hepatitis A is one of the most common vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the world. Effective vaccines against hepatitis A have been available since 1992, and they provide long-term immunity against the infection. However, there is no worldwide consensus on how long protection will last or whether there will be a need for hepatitis A virus (HAV) booster vaccinations in the future. In most countries, booster-vaccination policy is guided by manufacturers' recommendations, national authorities, or both. In June, 2002, a panel of international experts met to review the long-term immunogenicity and protection conferred by HAV vaccine in different population groups. Data have shown that after a full primary vaccination course, protective antibody amounts persist beyond 10 years in healthy individuals, and underlying immune memory provides protection far beyond the duration of anti-HAV antibodies. The group concluded that there is no evidence to lend support to HAV booster vaccination after a full primary vaccination course in a healthy individual. However, further investigations are needed before deciding if boosters can be omitted in special patient-groups.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, WHO Collaborating Centre for Control and Prevention of Viral Hepatitis, Unit of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Antwerp, 2610 , Antwerp, Belgium. pierre.vandamme@ua.ac.be
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Damme
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banatvala
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwarson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Herck
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shouval
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonanni
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cooksley
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leroux-Roels
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Von Sonnenburg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant
chemical_list: D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines