title: Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies in schoolchildren in Catalonia (Spain) after the introduction of universal hepatitis A immunization.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies (anti-HAV) in schoolchildren in Catalonia and to compare it with the rates found in previous studies. Sera from a representative sample of 1,342 children aged between 6 and 15 years, recruited in 2001, were tested for anti-HAV. The results were related to sociodemographic variables and vaccination history. The overall prevalence of anti-HAV was 51.4%. The prevalence was 5.5% in non-vaccinated children, similar to that found in a 1996 study, and 96.6% in vaccinated children. The prevalence of anti-HAV in non-vaccinated children increased significantly with age, reaching 11.6% in the 13-15 years age group. The prevalence of anti-HAV was higher in children born outside Catalonia than in those born in Catalonia (16.1% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.02). The expected continuation in the decline in the prevalence of anti-HAV in non-vaccinated schoolchildren, observed in Catalonia since 1986, was not found in 2001. The rate of anti-HAV in 2001 was slightly higher than in 1996, although the difference was not statistically significant (5.5 and 3.5%, respectively). This could be explained by the increased number of recent immigrant children born outside Catalonia, mainly in countries where hepatitis A is highly endemic.
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Public Health, Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. angela.dominguez@gencat.net
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruguera
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Plans
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Lluís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salleras
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D017957:Hepatitis A Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D032541:Mass Vaccination; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines