WHO position paper on hepatitis A vaccines: June 2012—Recommendations

Abstract

This article presents the World Health Organizations (WHO) recommendations onthe use of hepatitis A vaccine excerpted from the WHO position paper on hepatitis A vaccines - June 2012 recently published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record [1]. The current document replaces the position paper on the use of hepatitis A vaccines published in 2000 [2] and incorporates the most recent developments in the field with particular consideration to changes in the epidemiological features of hepatitis A infection in several countries, increased supply of hepatitis A vaccines, and new evidence on their public health benefits. Footnotes to this paper provide a number of core references including references to grading tables that assess the quality of scientific evidence for a few key conclusions. In accordance with its mandate to provide guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations of vaccines against diseases that have an international public health impact. These papers are concerned primarily with the use of vaccines in large-scale immunization programmes; they summarize essential background information on diseases and vaccines, and conclude with WHO's current position on the use of vaccines in the global context. This paper reflects the recommendations of WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization. These recommendations were discussed by SAGE at its November 2011 and April 2012 meetings. Evidence presented at these meetings can be accessed at http://www.who.int/immunization/sage/previous/en/index.html.