Safety and immunogenicity of hepatitis A vaccine in infants: a candidate for inclusion in the childhood vaccination programme

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 17; no. 6; pp. 585 - 588
• Main Authors: Piazza, Marcello, Safary, Assad, Vegnente, Angela, Soncini, Renato, Pensati, Pasqualina, Sardo, Massimo, Orlando, Raffaele, Tosone, Grazia, Picciotto, Ludovico
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 12.02.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Childhood vaccination programme; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology. Vaccinations; Female; General aspects; Hepatitis A Antibodies; Hepatitis A vaccine; Hepatitis A Vaccines; Hepatitis A virus; Hepatitis Antibodies - blood; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Infant; Infants; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Vaccination; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viral Hepatitis Vaccines - adverse effects; Viral Hepatitis Vaccines - immunology; Southern Europe; Italy; Europe; Infants; Hepatitis A vaccine; Childhood vaccination programme; Human; Sanitary program; Immune response; Hepatitis A virus; Picornaviridae; Antibody; Toxicity; Hepatic disease; Infant; Vaccine; Hepatovirus; Infection; Virus; Viral hepatitis A; Immunogenicity; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Public health; Humoral immunity; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(98)00237-0

Forty-eight infants received a single dose (720 ELISA units=0.5 ml) of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine at the fifth month of age with booster at the 11th month of age, together with the second and third doses of the vaccines compulsory under Italian law (diphtheria, tetanus, oral polio and hepatitis B). Overall, the seroconversion rate was 100%. The anti-HAV geometric mean titre (GMT) reached 3,021 mIU/ml in infants born to anti-HAV-negative mothers, but only 399 mIU/ml in infants born to anti-HAV-positive mothers. Hepatitis A vaccine was immunogenic, safe and well tolerated without significant side-effects. There seems to be no reason for not including it in childhood vaccination programmes particularly in low endemic HAV areas.