Abstract
Viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of acute and chronic liver diseases worldwide. In Italy, a mandatory vaccination policy was introduced in 1991 and was established for all newborns and 12-year-old individuals. In 2004, vaccination of 12-year old adolescents was discontinued, and that of infants was maintained. We evaluated the seroprevalence of HBV markers in 806 individuals, who were vaccinated at birth or at 12 years of age, to assess the effectiveness of the national policy against HBV. The overall prevalence of anti-HBs antibodies was 90.32% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.28-92.36%); 2.23% (95% CI: 1.21-3.25%) of the subjects were positive for both antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) and antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), whereas 5.83% (95% CI 4.21-7.45) of the subjects were negative for all markers tested. Further, 1.61% (95% CI: 0.74-2.48%) of the subjects were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Our data provide additional evidence that HBV vaccination can confer long-term immunity when performed at birth and when performed for healthy adolescents; moreover, the results show the effectiveness of the application of a national vaccination strategy.
Highlights
Viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of acute and chronic liver diseases worldwide
Positive test results for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were obtained for 1.61% (n = 13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74–2.48) of the subjects (Figure 1)
We found 12 subjects tested positive for HBsAg: 4 individuals were known to be HBsAg carriers at the time of vaccination proposal (3 were born to HBsAgpositive mothers; 1 was born in Romania, an endemic area for HBV infection, and was later adopted by Italian parents)
Summary
Viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of acute and chronic liver diseases worldwide. Patients and Methods: We evaluated the seroprevalence of HBV markers in 806 individuals, who were vaccinated at birth or at 12 years of age, to assess the effectiveness of the national policy against HBV. Conclusions: Our data provide additional evidence that HBV vaccination can confer long-term immunity when performed at birth and when performed for healthy adolescents; the results show the effectiveness of the application of a national vaccination strategy. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) contributes to most of the hepatitis disease burden worldwide [1]. The prevalence of HBV-related hepatitis varies across nations; in industrialized countries, the prevalence of this disease is less than 2% [3]. According to the Acute Hepatitis National Surveillance System (SEIEVA), the incidence of acute HBV decreased from 12 per 100,000 in 1985 to 1.6 per 100,000 in 2008, with a consequent reduction of HBV-related chron-
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