Seroprevalence of Anti-Hepatitis A Antibody Among 1 - 15 Year Old Children in Kashan-Iran

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, hepatitis A is a common infection during childhood especially in developing countries. It can cause severe complications in adults and patients with underlying diseases. OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in 1 - 15 year-old children of Kashan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 666 one to fifteen year-old children from health-care centers in Kashan city during 2012. Total antibodies against hepatitis A were measured in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Totally, 3.9% of children were seropositive. Mean number of family members was 3.92 ± 0.89. There was no difference in seroprevalence of hepatitis A relative to sex, family size, mean age and age groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this city, a great proportion of children are susceptible to hepatitis A and it’s complications at an older age. This decrease in seropositivity may be caused by elevated hygien level. According to our results hepatitis A vaccination is recommended at early childhood such as that of other regions where low prevalence of hepatitis A infection is found.