Assessment of hepatitis B virus immune status among hepatitis B virus vaccinated children.

Abstract

Background:: Vaccination compared to other measures is considered the most efficient and cost-effective strategy against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection which decreases the incidence of both HBV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study involved 179 children vaccinated against HBV during infancy, and aimed to assess the immune status against HBV among HBV vaccinated children in different age groups. Methods: Participants were chosen according to previously settled inclusion and exclusion criteria. Recruited participants' ages ranged from 9 months till 10 years who had received the full routine infancy vaccination course. Participants were divided according to age into three groups: group A ages from 9 months to less than 2 years of age (41 children 22.9%), group B ages from 2 years to less than 5 years (64 children 35.8%), and group C ages from 6 years to 10 years (74 children 41.3%). Serum levels of antiHBs were measured. Results: Out of 179 participants, there were 154 children (86%) seroprotected, while 25 children (14%) were not. Moreover, 100% of children under 3 years were seroprotected. Seroprotection rate under 5 years was 95.2%. While in group C seroprotection rate was 73%. Males showed a slightly higher seroprotection rate than females although statically insignificant. Conclusion: Universal hepatitis B vaccination shows excellent effectiveness in Egypt. Total seroprotection rate (86%) is higher than in previous local and global studies that may return to the recent implementation of birth dose in Egypt.