Seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus among Iranian soldiers.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to investigate the seroprevalence of HAV immunity among Iranian soldiers and determine whether vaccination should be given to military draftees.


BACKGROUND
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is highly contagious in individuals living in crowded conditions such as military centers. To the best of our knowledge, there are limited data about HAV prevalence among Iranian soldiers.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1554 soldiers were recruited through a random clustering sampling. Serum anti-HAV antibody was measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.


RESULTS
A total of 1554 male soldiers with age ranged from 18 to 34 years (mean age: 21.2±1.9 years) at baseline were evaluated. Overall, 80.3% of the analyzed specimens were anti-HAV seropositive. Seroprevalence rates significantly increased with the age.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that vaccination for HAV is not necessary for Iranian military draftees. However, the vaccination is recommended for high-risk groups, including anti-HAV seronegative soldiers.
Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Morteza
M
Izadi
Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ali Aliakbar
AA
Esfahani
Department of Medical Immunology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hadi
H
Hassannia
Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nematollah
N
Jonaidi Jafari
Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh
F
Rahmati Najarkolaei
Student's Research Committee, Baqiatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Middle East Liver Disease Center, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Saeid
MS
Rezaee-Zavareh
Hepatitis A virus; Military personnel; Prevalence; Seroepidemiological study