Vaccine
Volume 19, Issue 27, 2001, Pages 3615-3619

Hepatitis A control in a refugee camp by active immunization (Article)

Kaic B.* , Borcic B. , Ljubicic M. , Brkic I. , Mihaljevic I.
  • a Department of Epidemiology, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefellerova 7, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
  • b Department of Epidemiology, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefellerova 7, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
  • c Department of Epidemiology, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefellerova 7, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
  • d Department of Epidemiology, Sisacko-Moslavacka County Institute of Public Health, Tomislava 1, HR-44000 Sisak, Croatia
  • e Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Petrova 3, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

An outbreak of hepatitis A occurred among children of a refugee camp in Croatia. In order to disrupt the outbreak, we decided to vaccinate children from 1 to 15 years of age in the camp, in addition to intensified general preventive measures. Assuming high prevalence of hepatitis A virus antibodies within this population, we conducted anti-HAV testing of the children eligible for vaccination. Of 108 children tested, 74 (68.5%) were anti-HAV positive. We vaccinated 34 children. One month after vaccination 31 previously negative children were tested for anti-HAV and 30 of them were found positive, suggesting a seroconversion rate of 96.8%. One child fell ill 5 days after vaccination, after whom no new cases of hepatitis A occurred. Thus we conclude that active immunization is a successful means of stopping an outbreak of hepatitis A. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Author Keywords

Hepatitis A Refugees Vaccination

Index Keywords

refugee seroconversion Croatia active immunization human Refugees hepatitis A controlled study priority journal Hepatitis A Vaccines Humans antibody detection Treatment Outcome Adolescent male female Infant Child, Preschool Article epidemic infection control infection prevention major clinical study adult hepatitis a virus vaccination drug induced disease seroprevalence hepatitis A antibody drug effect hepatitis A vaccine havrix 720 junior Immunotherapy, Active Hepatitis A Virus, Human Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0035859287&doi=10.1016%2fS0264-410X%2801%2900103-7&partnerID=40&md5=e7ae65e33bad7a996ab274f7fd51450a
DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(01)00103-7
ISSN: 0264410X
Cited by: 13
Original Language: English