Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis-A Virus among Children Aged 1-18 Years in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Objectives: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus among children aged 1-18 years in Elazig before national hepatitis A virus immunization program in Turkey Design: Prospective study Setting: Elazig Education and Research Hospital and Elazig Harput State Hospital in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey Subject and Methods: 1258 patients admitted to pediatric polyclinic with suspicion of hepatitis A virus infection between January 2011 and December 2012 were included in the study. Interventions: ELISA blood test Main Outcome Measures: Serological markers of hepatitis A, anti-HAV IgM and anti-HAV IgG, were tested using the ELISA method. Results: Two hundred and forty-eight patients who were Anti-HAV IgM positive were excluded from study. The mean age of the remaining 1010 pediatric patients was 10.7 +/- 5.1 years (range: 1-18 years). Out of these, 558 (55.2%) were male and 452 (44.8%) female. Overall, 575 (56.9%) cases were seronegative against hepatitis A virus. Anti-HAV IgG was detected in 435 patients (43.1%). Out of these, 236 (54.3%) were male and 199 (45.7%) female. The mean age of seropositive cases was 11.7 +/- 5.2 years. Conclusions: Hepatitis A is an important public health problem in our region. This study has revealed an advanced age of exposure to hepatitis A virus infection. We argue that the application of routine hepatitis A vaccine to children in our region will reduce the potential severe complications of the infection.