Use of existing data for public health planning: a study of the prevalenceof hepatitis B surface antigen and core antibody in Al Ain Medical District, United Arab Emirates

Introduction Hepatitis B is of major public health importance, Accurate inf ormation on its occurrence, with particular reference to the prevalence of immunity and chronic infection (marked by the presence of hepatitis B core antibody and surface antigen, respectively, in serum), is essential for pla nning public health programmes for the control of the disease. The generati on of marker prevalence data through serological surveys is costly and time consuming. The present study in Al Ain Medical District, United Arab Emira tes, investigated the possibility of obtaining sufficiently accurate marker prevalence estimates from existing data to plan public health programmes. Methods Two antenatal screening databases, one student serological survey d atabase, one immunization programme database and one pre-marriage screening database containing information on marker prevalence were identified. Epid emiological data were abstracted from these databases and analysed. Results The data showed that the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and the prevalence of core antibody in young citizens in 1998 were approxim ately 2% and 14% respectively, that any immunization campaign aimed at citi zens of the United Arab Emirates should target teenagers as they had the hi ghest risk of acquiring the disease, and that pre-immunization screening of young adults would be wasteful. However, the data did not yield informatio n on the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and core antibody in oth er population subgroups of public health significance. Discussion While data generated by the study are sufficient to support a he patitis B immunization programme targeted at teenaged citizens, more accura te data, generated by a well-designed serological survey, would be essentia l for optimal public health planning.