Seroprevalence of Anti-Hepatitis A Antibody Among 1 - 15 Year Old Children in Kashan-Iran

BACKGROUND Worldwide, hepatitis A is a common infection during childhood especially in developing countries. It can cause severe complications in adults and patients with underlying diseases. OBJECTIVES This study was performed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in 1 - 15 year-old children of Kashan. PATIENTS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed on 666 one to fifteen year-old children from health-care centers in Kashan city during 2012. Total antibodies against hepatitis A were measured in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS Totally, 3.9% of children were seropositive. Mean number of family members was 3.92 ± 0.89. There was no difference in seroprevalence of hepatitis A relative to sex, family size, mean age and age groups. CONCLUSIONS In this city, a great proportion of children are susceptible to hepatitis A and it's complications at an older age. This decrease in seropositivity may be caused by elevated hygien level. According to our results hepatitis A vaccination is recommended at early childhood such as that of other regions where low prevalence of hepatitis A infection is found.