Long-Term Efficacy of a Hepatitis E Vaccine

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 372; no. 10; pp. 914 - 922
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jun, Zhang, Xue-Feng, Huang, Shou-Jie, Wu, Ting, Hu, Yue-Mei, Wang, Zhong-Ze, Wang, Hua, Jiang, Han-Min, Wang, Yi-Jun, Yan, Qiang, Guo, Meng, Liu, Xiao-Hui, Li, Jing-Xin, Yang, Chang-Lin, Tang, Quan, Jiang, Ren-Jie, Pan, Hui-Rong, Li, Yi-Min, Shih, J. Wai-Kuo, Ng, Mun-Hon, Zhu, Feng-Cai, Xia, Ning-Shao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 05.03.2015
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies; Double-Blind Method; Female; Genotype; Hepatitis; Hepatitis Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis E - immunology; Hepatitis E - prevention & control; Hepatitis E virus - genetics; Hepatitis E virus - immunology; Humans; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Time Factors; Vaccine efficacy; Vaccines; Viral Hepatitis Vaccines - adverse effects; Viral Hepatitis Vaccines - immunology; Young Adult; China
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1406011

Hepatitis E virus is a common cause of illness worldwide and is associated with severe complications, especially in pregnant women. In this report, the long-term efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of a hepatitis E vaccine are described. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. 1 , 2 HEV infection occurs in two distinct epidemiologic patterns. 3 The most common pattern is waterborne infection, which is caused by HEV genotype 1 or 2 and occurs mainly in resource-limited countries, often in large, protracted outbreaks or in sporadic cases associated with high mortality among pregnant women. 4 – 6 The other pattern is transmission from animals and humans, which is caused by HEV genotype 3 or 4 and occurs widely in both resource-limited and developed countries. 1 , 7 – 9 Rein et al. 10 estimated the incidence of hepatitis E in areas . . .