The Investigation of Hepatitis A Seroprevalance and Risk Factors of Children Aged Between 3 and 11 in Narlıdere Health District

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A (HA) in a population of Turkish children aged 3-11 years old. Subjects: The study group consisted of 386 children sampled from 2445 children aged 3-11 years old in the Narl›dere Health District. Results: Hepatitis A seroprevalence was 34.2% in the study group. There was a positive trend in seropositivity with age (X2 for trend= 46.7, Df= 8, p= 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, age and the source of water remained associated with hepatitis A seropositivity. One year increase in age was associated with a 38% increase in probability of being HA seropositive (95% CI= 1.35-1.40). The OR of “other source of water” was 2.30 for HA (95% CI= 1.12-4.55). Conclusion: Hepatitis A seroprevalence shows a positive trend with age and is associated with infrastructure (water source). Such findings suggest that a routine vaccination programme for Hepatitis A does not seem to be a priority for Turkey at this time. However if it becomes available as a routine vaccination policy, the target group should be children under 3 years of age