TY - JOUR
TI - Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A among Greek children indicates that the virus is still prevalent: Implications for universal vaccination
AU - Kyrka, A.
AU - Tragiannidis, A.
AU - Cassimos, D.
AU - Pantelaki, K.
AU - Tzoufi, M.
AU - Mavrokosta, M.
AU - Pedeli, X.
AU - Athanassiadou, F.
AU - Hatzimichael, A.
AU - Konstantopoulos, A.
AU - Kafetzis, D.
AU - Papaevangelou, V.
JO - Journal of Medical Virology
PY - 2009
VL - 81
TODO - 4
SP - 582-587
PB - 
SN - 0146-6615, 1096-9071
TODO - 10.1002/jmv.21434
TODO - hepatitis A vaccine;  immunoglobulin G;  hepatitis A antibody;  hepatitis A vaccine, adolescent;  antibody detection;  article;  child;  drug safety;  drug tolerability;  Greece;  health program;  hepatitis A;  Hepatitis A virus;  human;  immigrant;  infant;  major clinical study;  preschool child;  rural area;  school child;  seroepidemiology;  serology;  seroprevalence;  vaccination;  blood;  epidemiology;  female;  Greece;  hepatitis A;  Hepatitis A virus;  immunology;  male;  newborn;  prevalence;  statistics, Hepatitis A virus, Adolescent;  Child;  Child, Preschool;  Female;  Greece;  Hepatitis A;  Hepatitis A Antibodies;  Hepatitis A Vaccines;  Hepatitis A virus;  Humans;  Infant;  Infant, Newborn;  Male;  Prevalence;  Seroepidemiologic Studies;  Vaccination
TODO - 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. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
ER -