Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection among family members of children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in eastern Turkey: Reply

Abstract

Ataturk University, Medical School, Department of Clinical Bacteriology and Infectious Disease, Erzurum, Turkey. Correspondence to Dr Serpil Erol, Atalurk Universitesi, Tip Fakultesi Aziziye Hastanesi, Infeksiyon Hastaliklari Klinigi, Erzurum, Turkey. Tel: +90 442 316 6333/2026; fax: +90 442 316 6340; e-mail: [email protected] In our recent study [1], we surveyed 240 family members of 84 patients infected with HBV to investigate intrafamilial transmission of the virus. In fact, these 84 index cases had a total of 362 family members. However, as we mentioned in our article, tests for HBV markers were not performed in the other 122 family members either because, in order to be vaccinated against HBV, they had temporary residence outside the index cases’ city or because they refused to allow us to perform the tests. In this group, a total of 110 family members were vaccinated against HBV. Since we aimed to investigate intrafamilial spread of the virus in our study, we excluded vaccinated family members. A considerable number of our index cases were not newly diagnosed and some of their family members became vaccinated a short time after diagnosis of the index cases. Consequently, these family members, although living together with the index cases, were vaccinated and therefore not susceptible to the virus. In our opinion, it would be misleading to interpret the spread of HBV in the vaccinated family members.