Universal hepatitis A vaccination in the United States: a call for action.
Previous hepatitis A recommendations for the United States targeted vaccination of at-risk individuals and children living in states and communities with consistently elevated rates of hepatitis A. Recommendations now call for routine hepatitis A vaccination of all children in the United States beginning at age 1 year (12-23 months). Currently, vaccination coverage rates for hepatitis A remain below rates of other routine childhood vaccines. Achieving a national immunization rate greater than 90% for the recommended 2 doses of hepatitis A vaccine would lessen disease impact throughout society. Routine childhood immunization against hepatitis A can be a highly effective strategy to reduce infection in children and community transmission of the virus, and the elimination of indigenous transmission of hepatitis A is an attainable goal.
Lieberman
Jay M
JM
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA. jay.m.lieberman@questdiagnostics.com
Word
Bonnie M
BM
Jacobs
R Jake
RJ
Dagan
Ron
R
Marchant
Colin D
CD
D002675:Child, Preschool; D006291:Health Policy; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D032541:Mass Vaccination; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines