Peer-reviewed article
Hepatitis A virus infections, immunisations and demographic determinants in children and adolescents, Germany
Kai Michaelis, Christina Poethko‐Müller, Ronny Kuhnert, Klaus Stark, Mirko S. Faber ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined hepatitis A virus infections and immunisation rates among 12,249 children and adolescents aged 3-17 years in Germany between 2003-2006. Researchers found that 14% had protective antibody levels, 11% were vaccinated against hepatitis A, and 3% showed evidence of previous infection without vaccination. Children and adolescents with migration backgrounds were significantly more likely to be affected by hepatitis A infections, even if born in Germany.
Key points
- 14% of children and adolescents had protective antibody levels against hepatitis A
- 11% had been vaccinated against hepatitis A
- 3% showed serological evidence of previous HAV infection without prior vaccination
- Antibody prevalence increased significantly with age
- Children and adolescents with migration background had higher rates of HAV infection regardless of birthplace
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional survey and cannot establish causation or temporal relationships. The study covers only 2003-2006 data, so findings may not reflect current vaccination coverage or infection rates in Germany.
Abstract
Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease with a global distribution. It predominantly occurs in regions with inadequate living conditions, but also affects populations in industrialised countries. Children are frequently involved in the transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and thus play a central role in the epidemiology of hepatitis A. Here, we investigated HAV infections, immunisations, and associated demographic determinants in a nationwide, population-based, cross-sectional survey conducted in Germany from 2003-2006. Out of 17,640 children and adolescents, complete data sets (HAV serology, demographic information and vaccination card) were available for 12,249 (69%), all aged 3-17 years. We found protective antibody levels (>=20 IU/L) in 1,755 (14%) individuals, 1,395 (11%) were vaccinated against hepatitis A, 360 (3%) individuals were HAV seropositive without prior hepatitis A vaccination, thus indicating a previous HAV infection. Antibody prevalence (attributable to vaccination or infection) increased significantly with age. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that predominantly children and adolescents with migration background-even if they were born in Germany-are affected by HAV infections. Our results provide a rationale to emphasise existing vaccination recommendations and, moreover, to consider additional groups with a higher risk of infection for targeted vaccination, especially children with a migration background.