Seropositivity of Hepatitis A in Children Aged 7-14 Years in Diyarbakir Province Center

A review of the experience of childhood hepatitis A vaccination in Saudi Arabia and Turkey: implications for hepatitis A control and prevention in the Middle East and North African region

In most countries of the Middle East and Northern African (MENA) region, a high hepatitis A virus (HAV) endemicity has been documented. Few others, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are transitioning from high to intermediate endemicity. There is a paucity of recently published HAV disease burden that could be useful to inform or strengthen relevant national hepatitis A vaccination policy and other prevention strategies in the region. This review summarizes information on HAV epidemiology before and after the implementation of a childhood hepatitis A vaccination program in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. In both countries, a clear shift in the age of first HAV exposure has been documented, with more homogeneous trends across regions in Saudi Arabia compared to Turkey. Utilizing the experience of Saudi Arabia and Turkey with hepatitis A vaccination, countries in the region are encouraged to foster discussions on potential vaccination strategies suitable for their own setting.

Hepatitis A virus age-specific seroprevalence after the implementation of a Toddlers' Vaccination in Turkey: Shifting susceptibility to adolescents

Aim:

In Turkey, improvements in sanitation and the implementation of a vaccination program resulted in reduced rates of childhood exposure to hepatitis A virus. The incidence of symptoms and the complications of the disease are known to be increased in later ages. We aimed to describe changes in the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus from the pre-vaccine era (2012) to the post-vaccine era (2018) in different age groups.

Material and Methods:

Levels of anti-hepatitis A virus immunoglobulin (Ig)-G of patients with no chronic disease and who were admitted to our hospital between 2013–2018 were obtained retrospectively from a single children’s hospital database system.

Results:

A total of 3238 subjects were enrolled in the study (2820 children, 418 adults). The overall percentage of seropositivity was 60.5% in group 1 (age ≤2 years), 57.9% in group 2 (age 2–6 years), 31.2% in group 3 (age 7–11 years), 32.7% in group 4 (age 12–18 years), 44.6% in group 5 (age 19–24 years), and 73.9% in group 6 (age >25 years). Between 2013–2018, the increase in the number of seropositive individuals in group 2 (p<0.01), and the decrease in groups 3 and 4 were statistically significant from 2013 to 2018 (p=0.028, p<0.01).

Conclusion:

According to the data of this single-center children’s hospital in Turkey, hepatitis A virus seropositivity increases significantly in the preschool age group, but decreases in school-age children and adolescents after vaccination.