Abstract
hen compared with Thailand, the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is extremely high among its neighbouring countries. To investigate the seroprevalence of HAV among the Thai people residing in the border area between Thailand and Myanmar, 308 residents in Umphang, Maesod district, Tak, were recruited. Sera were tested for HAV IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall seroprevalence among the Thai people residing in the border area of Thailand was significantly higher than that among the general Thai population (71% vs 27% respectively, p < 0.05). As asymptomatic or mild HAV infection typically occurs in children, the Thai people residing in the border area may receive little benefit from universal HAV vaccination. Lower protective antibodies against HAV, along with the exclusion of HAV vaccine from the Expanded Programme on Immunization, potentially increase the susceptibility to HAV among the general Thai population and may lead to more future outbreaks if HAV is introduced from the border areas. The findings suggest that HAV vaccines should be recommended to travellers before their journey to the border between Thailand and Myanmar where HAV is endemic.
Highlights
The seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in most parts of Asia has gradually declined as a result of significant improvements in hygiene and living standards [1,2,3]
We investigated the seroprevalence of HAV infection among residents in Umphang, Maesod district, Tak, Thailand
When comparing the seroprevalence of HAV among the people residing in the border area with that of Thai [6] and Myanmar [4] populations, the agerelated seroprevalence of HAV among the people residing in the border area was significantly higher than that of the general Thai population (p
Summary
The seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in most parts of Asia has gradually declined as a result of significant improvements in hygiene and living standards [1,2,3]. The true seroprevalence of HAV in these least-developed countries is yet to be determined, the seroprevalence is expected to be high. This estimation has been derived from the surveillance study of HAV antibodies among immigrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia in Thailand. The seroprevalence of HAV among the Thai people residing in the border area adjacent to Myanmar is yet to be studied, due to geographical proximity, it is presumed to be higher than that among the general Thai population. The EPI for the general Thai population may not be applicable to the Thai people residing in the border area. Tak province is one of the border provinces between Thailand and Myanmar (Fig. 1), and residents of Tak province were selected to represent the Thai people residing in the border area
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