Hepatitis A antibody prevalence among young adults in Israel - The decline continues

M. Gdalevich*, I. Grotto, Y. Mandel, D. Mimouni, J. Shemer, I. Ashkenazi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether the decline in prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies detected in Israel in 1977, 1984, and 1987 has continued. The anti-HAV antibody prevalence of a systematic sample of 578 male and female recruits inducted into the Israel Defence Force in 1996 was 38.4%. The reduction in antibody prevalence from 1977 (64%) was highly significant (P < 0.001). There was a smaller decrease rate in recruits of European, North American, Australian and South African origin than from elsewhere. A 'strategy' that uses active immunization against hepatitis A (inactivated vaccine, instead of gamma globulin) should be considered, particularly in high risk groups such as field units during military service.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)477-479
Number of pages3
JournalEpidemiology and Infection
Volume121
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1998

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