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- Title
Hepatitis A in Children in Europe -- A Review.
- Authors
Papaevangelou, Vassiliki; Konstantopoulos, Andreas
- Abstract
Children with acute hepatitis A (AHA) infection have mild disease or remain asymptomatic, whereas adolescents and adults with AHA may develop severe or even fulminant hepatitis. Hepatitis A is increasingly the leading cause of liver transplant due to acute viral hepatitis. Although in most European countries hepatitis A is a reportable infectious disease, surveillance systems differ widely. Over the past decades the annual incidence of AHA has significantly decreased in Europe, but high incidence variability is observed between regions, countries or even cities. Currently, most European countries report low annual incidence and a limited number of outbreaks associated with either food consumption or imported cases. As a consequence, the number of susceptible adults has been rising and the potential for outbreaks among older children, adolescents and adults has increased. Although safe and effective hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccines have been available for more than 15 years, risk-group vaccination strategies are currently implemented by most European countries. Vaccination of travellers must be reinforced and universal vaccination considered.
- Subjects
EUROPE; HEPATITIS A; JUVENILE diseases; EPIDEMIOLOGY; SEROPREVALENCE
- Publication
European Paediatrics, 2010, Vol 4, p8
- ISSN
1757-1006
- Publication type
Article