Biomaterial Database

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in children in Taipei, 1989: five years after a mass hepatitis B vaccination program. 1991

Y J Tsen, and M H Chang, and H Y Hsu, and C Y Lee, and J L Sung, and D S Chen

Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China.

A nationwide hepatitis B vaccination program was launched in Taiwan in 1984. To study the impact of this ongoing program on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a follow-up seroepidemiologic study was carried out in 1989 in a Taipei district where pre-vaccination seroepidemiology had been studied. HBV markers were studied in 1134 apparently healthy children (619 boys and 515 girls) under 13 years of age between March and July 1989. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in children under 5 years of age decreased from 9.3% in 1984 to approximately 2% in 1989. A significant decrease in HBsAg prevalence and hepatitis B core antibody in 5- to 8-year-old children who were not immunized against HBV showed that horizontal infection among the older children had also decreased. Thus, this program not only protected vaccinated subjects; the reduction in numbers of highly infectious young HBV carriers also contributed to a lower prevalence of hepatitis B infection and carrier rates in some older children. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B vaccination is effective in protecting the majority of children in hyperendemic areas from HBV infection and from becoming chronic carriers.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D008297	Male		Males
D002353	Carrier State	The condition of harboring an infective organism without manifesting symptoms of infection. The organism must be readily transmissible to another susceptible host.	Asymptomatic Carrier State,Asymptomatic Infection Carrier,Inapparent Infection Carrier,Presymptomatic Carrier State,Presymptomatic Infection Carrier,Super-spreader Carrier,Superspreader Carrier,Asymptomatic Carrier States,Asymptomatic Infection Carriers,Carrier State, Asymptomatic,Carrier State, Presymptomatic,Carrier States,Carrier, Super-spreader,Carrier, Superspreader,Carriers, Super-spreader,Carriers, Superspreader,Inapparent Infection Carriers,Infection Carrier, Asymptomatic,Infection Carrier, Inapparent,Infection Carrier, Presymptomatic,Presymptomatic Carrier States,Presymptomatic Infection Carriers,Super spreader Carrier,Super-spreader Carriers,Superspreader Carriers
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005260	Female		Females
D005500	Follow-Up Studies	Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.	Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006509	Hepatitis B	INFLAMMATION of the LIVER in humans caused by a member of the ORTHOHEPADNAVIRUS genus, HEPATITIS B VIRUS. It is primarily transmitted by parenteral exposure, such as transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products, but can also be transmitted via sexual or intimate personal contact.	Hepatitis B Virus Infection
D006510	Hepatitis B Antibodies	Antibodies to the HEPATITIS B ANTIGENS, including antibodies to the surface (Australia) and core of the Dane particle and those to the "e" antigens.	Anti-Australia Antigens,Anti-HBAg,Anti-Hepatitis B Antigens,Anti HBAg,Hepatitis B Virus Antibodies,Anti Australia Antigens,Anti Hepatitis B Antigens,Antibodies, Hepatitis B,Antigens, Anti-Australia,Antigens, Anti-Hepatitis B,B Antibodies, Hepatitis,B Antigens, Anti-Hepatitis,HBAg, Anti
D006512	Hepatitis B Core Antigens	The hepatitis B antigen within the core of the Dane particle, the infectious hepatitis virion.	HBcAg,Hepatitis B Core Antigen