Seropositivity of Hepatitis A in Children Aged 7-14 Years in Diyarbakir Province Center.
Med Sci Monit
; 24: 936-943, 2018 Feb 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29445079
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a common morbidity in society, and mortality is more common in older ages. It is important to identify the prevalence in the population, the development of primary protection methods, and vaccination policies. This study aimed to identify anti-HAV seropositivity in children in 3 different schools in Diyarbakir, Turkey, to evaluate the risk factors influencing prevalence, and thus to develop strategies to prevent infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was a prospective investigation of 600 children with a mean age of 10.5 years (range, 7-14), including 291 males and 309 females. RESULTS The seropositivity was 45.7% (41.2% in males and 49.8% females) with a statistically significant difference by sex (p=0.042). It was also significantly correlated with age. Factors significantly associated with seropositivity were educational level and income of parents, number of rooms in the house, type of toilet, number of siblings, and source of drinking water. Hence, older age, more siblings, crowded household, and low socioeconomic level are risk factors for seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS Protection strategies for the disease include improving socioeconomic level, increasing the level of education, disseminating appropriate drinking water, improving infrastructure and sewage disposal, and public health education on hygiene and the importance of vaccination. We also believe that active immunization against HAV in Turkey in general and in our province in particular can prevent infection in children and related complications in older people.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Hepatite A
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Sci Monit
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Turquia