Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Universal Vaccination (universal + vaccination)
Selected AbstractsHepatitis B vaccine: Risks and benefits of universal neonatal vaccinationJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 3 2001CR Macintyre Abstract: Global eradication of hepatitis B, which has infected over 2000 million people worldwide, is an achievable goal. Hepatitis B vaccine is effective and safe, and is recommended in Australia as a four-dose childhood schedule commencing with a neonatal dose. A neonatal dose has a greater impact on carriage, the main reservoir of transmission, due to the inverse relationship of age and risk of chronic carriage. Universal vaccination is clearly cost-effective in countries of high hepatitis B endemicity but less so in countries of low endemicity. Other factors affecting the perceived benefits of universal vaccination in low-risk countries include the use of the preservative thiomersal in hepatitis B vaccines, and case reports of multiple sclerosis (MS) and unexplained fever in recipients. Careful epidemiological studies have failed to confirm any risk of MS or fever with the hepatitis B vaccine, which is now thiomersal-free. Other arguments against universal vaccination include ,unnecessary' vaccination of low-risk neonates. However, selective vaccination programmes targeting at-risk neonates are often poorly implemented and do not protect against horizontal transmission in early childhood. Universal vaccination, which is safe and effective, is the only practical means of achieving global eradication of hepatitis B. [source] Increasing trend of acute hepatitis A in north India: Need for identification of high-risk population for vaccinationJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Zahid Hussain Abstract Background and Aims:, Hepatitis A (HAV) is endemic in India and most of the population is infected asymptomatically in early childhood with lifelong immunity. Because of altered epidemiology and decreasing endemicity, the pattern of acute HAV infection is changing from asymptomatic childhood infection to an increased incidence of symptomatic disease in the 18,40 age group. The aims of the present study were to assess whether the proportion of adults with acute HAV infection has been increasing over the years and to analyze the seroprevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-HAV antibodies in young adults above the age of 15 years as well as in cases of chronic liver disease. Methods:, Sera collected from 3495 patients with acute (1932) and chronic (1563) liver disease attending the Medical Outpatient Department of Lok Nayak Hospital during the previous five years (1999,2003) were tested for various serological markers of acute (HBsAg, HBcIgM, anti-HCV, HEV-IgM, and HAV-IgM) and chronic (HBsAg, HBcIgG, HBeAg, and anti-HCV) hepatitis. In addition, 500 normal healthy attendants of the patients above the age of 15 years were tested for IgG anti-HAV as controls. Results:, Of 1932 patients with acute viral hepatitis, 221 (11.4%) were positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-HAV. The patients who were IgM anti-HAV negative included hepatitis B (321 patients), C (39 patients), E (507 patients) and unclassified (844 patients). Although the frequency of HAV infection among children had increased (10.6% to 22.0%) in the 5-year period, the frequency of HAV infection among adults had also increased (3.4% to 12.3%) during the same period. A total of 300 patients with chronic liver diseases that were etiologically related to hepatitis B (169), C (73) or dual infection (10) and alcoholic liver injury (48) were tested for the presence of IgG anti-HAV antibody; 98% (294/300) were positive for the antibody. Conclusions:, Although universal vaccination against HAV is not currently indicated, selective vaccination of the high-risk population, based on their serological evidence of HAV antibody, would be a rational and cost-effective approach. [source] Public health measures to control hepatitis B virus infection in the developing countries of the Asia,Pacific regionJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 2000Ding-Shinn Chen Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is prevalent in the Asia,Pacific region and the disease burden caused by chronic HBV infection has been enormous. Although vaccination programmes have been implemented in the past decade, and there are extremely successful countries in the region, many countries still cannot afford a control program. These countries are often populous and highly endemic for HBV infection. To overcome this, aid from developed countries or private foundations should be actively sought. In the developing countries of this region, HBV infection in early childhood is the main cause of chronic HBV status, and thus universal vaccination of all infants is the best way to control HBV infection. Because of the expense and extra costs of screening pregnant women, the use of hepatitis B immune globulin may not be essential. To achieve the goal of universal infant vaccination, public education should be done in parallel with education of health professionals and control measures. The Asia,Pacific region has more people with chronic hepatitis B than any other part of the world, and control of HBV infection in this region will no doubt be the most important and challenging task to be taken in the beginning of the new millennium. [source] Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A among Greek children indicates that the virus is still prevalent: Implications for universal vaccinationJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2009A. Kyrka Abstract A national cross-sectional seroprevalence survey was conducted in order to evaluate the current seroepidemiology of hepatitis A among 1,383 children, aged 0,14 years, residing in Greece. Stratification of the study population was conducted according to age and area of residence. Sera from study participants were tested for the presence of anti-HAV IgG antibodies. Immigrant children, as well as children residing in rural areas, had lower immunization rates. Among unvaccinated children, the seroprevalence rate of anti-HAV was 17.1%. Nationality was shown to have a marginally significant effect since non-immunized immigrant children had a higher seroprevalence rate (22.4% vs. 15.9%, OR,=,1.52, P,=,0.064). Significant differences between geographic areas for both vaccination coverage and natural immunity were observed. The study findings indicate that hepatitis A is prevalent in Greece and therefore universal infant hepatitis A immunization should be implemented. J. Med. Virol. 81:582,587, 2009 © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Hepatitis B vaccine: Risks and benefits of universal neonatal vaccinationJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 3 2001CR Macintyre Abstract: Global eradication of hepatitis B, which has infected over 2000 million people worldwide, is an achievable goal. Hepatitis B vaccine is effective and safe, and is recommended in Australia as a four-dose childhood schedule commencing with a neonatal dose. A neonatal dose has a greater impact on carriage, the main reservoir of transmission, due to the inverse relationship of age and risk of chronic carriage. Universal vaccination is clearly cost-effective in countries of high hepatitis B endemicity but less so in countries of low endemicity. Other factors affecting the perceived benefits of universal vaccination in low-risk countries include the use of the preservative thiomersal in hepatitis B vaccines, and case reports of multiple sclerosis (MS) and unexplained fever in recipients. Careful epidemiological studies have failed to confirm any risk of MS or fever with the hepatitis B vaccine, which is now thiomersal-free. Other arguments against universal vaccination include ,unnecessary' vaccination of low-risk neonates. However, selective vaccination programmes targeting at-risk neonates are often poorly implemented and do not protect against horizontal transmission in early childhood. Universal vaccination, which is safe and effective, is the only practical means of achieving global eradication of hepatitis B. [source] Markers of hepatitis B virus infection and immunity in Victoria, Australia, 1995 to 2005AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2010Benjamin Cowie Abstract Objective: Estimating the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in generally low-prevalence populations containing communities with a higher disease burden is difficult. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of serological markers of infection with, and immunity to, HBV in the Victorian population and to analyse trends in these estimates over time. Methods: A serological survey of 3,212 samples of convenience collected in the years 1995, 2000 and 2005 was conducted using a selection procedure designed to reduce selection bias. All samples were tested for hepatitis B surface and core antibodies; all core antibody positive samples (indicating previous infection) were then tested for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Results: HBsAg prevalence was 1.1% (95%CI 0.8-1.6%) with significant differences observed by area of residence, age, gender and test year. Serological evidence of immunisation in infants and adolescents were lower than established estimates following the introduction of universal vaccination for these groups. Conclusions: This study emphasises the significant and growing problem of chronic HBV infection in Victoria and suggests lower than expected population immunity deriving from universal vaccination programs. Implications: Greater efforts are needed to formulate a comprehensive public health response to address this relatively neglected blood borne viral infection, the burden of which is very significant in some marginalised sections of our community. Increased attention to improving the universality of our immunisation programs is also needed. [source] | ||||||||||