title: Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies in Eastern Bolivia: a population-based study.
abstract: The seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is changing from high to intermediate endemicity in several Latin American countries, but the pattern in the Andean Latin American countries is unknown. A seroepidemiological survey (n = 436) of HAV in schoolchildren living in the Cochabamba region of Bolivia was conducted in 2010. A questionnaire was completed by parents to obtain demographic, socio-economic, and housing data, and blood samples were collected. The overall prevalence of HAV IgG was 95.4% (95% CI 93.5-97.4). The prevalence was higher in children aged 5-10 years (97%) and pre-adolescents aged 10-13 years (97.9%). The prevalence was also higher in subjects whose parents had a low level of education (99.4-99.5%), who lived in rural areas (98.7%), lived in municipalities with low urban development (99.1-100%), had water delivered at home from a tanker (99.4%), and spoke Quechua at home (99.5%). The descriptive and bivariate analysis suggested that no change in HAV epidemiology has occurred in Cochabamba.
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), International Health Centre and Travel Medicine Clinic, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Catalonia, Spain. cmasuet@bellvitgehospital.cat
authors.forename: Masuet-Aumatell
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: C
authors.forename: Ramon-Torrell
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: J M
authors.forename: Casanova-Rituerto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: A
authors.forename: Banqué-Navarro
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: M
authors.forename: Dávalos-Gamboa
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: M
authors.forename: Montaño-Rodríguez
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: S L
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: Bolivia; children; hepatitis A virus; seroprevalence survey; youth