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Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A among Students Enrolled in Tehran University of Medical Sciences during 2011

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis A is often asymptomatic in children, however it can become a serious disease in adults. For countries that do not have a universal vaccination strategy targeted vaccination for high risk groups is recommended. Health workers could be at a higher risk of infection with hepatitis...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Rabiee, Anahita, Nikayin, Sina, Hashemi, Seyed Reza, Mohaghegh, Mostafa, Amini, Marzieh, Rabiee, Roozbeh, Merat, Shahin
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Iranian Association of Gastroerterology and Hepatology 2013
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3990182/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24829683
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: Hepatitis A is often asymptomatic in children, however it can become a serious disease in adults. For countries that do not have a universal vaccination strategy targeted vaccination for high risk groups is recommended. Health workers could be at a higher risk of infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) compared to the general population. The aim of this study is to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis A among enrolled students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011. METHODS: This study included all students enrolled in Tehran University of Medical Sciences during 2011. We checked serum samples for anti-HAV antibody and participants completed a simple questionnaire. RESULTS: From 1864 health sciences students enrolled in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 1813 samples were analyzed for anti-HAV IgG antibody. The results showed that 970 (53.5%) were seronegative, 722 (39.8%) were seropositive, and 121 (6.7%) were equivocal. There were significantly higher seropositive results for males (54%) compared to females (37%; RR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.31-1.62). CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of HAV among enrolled medical science students is considerably lower than previous reports from Iran. Targeted vaccination for health sciences students prior to exposure should be seriously considered.