Increasing susceptibility to HAV among members of the young generation in Thailand

The prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus was studied in 961 childr en and adolescents, randomly selected from five different provinces in Thai land (Chonburi, Lopburi, Udonthani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Lopburi). The h ighest prevalence was found in Nakhon Si Thammarat, with 32.1 percent of th ose aged 10-14 years and 57.1 percent of those aged 15-18 years showing evi dence of protective immunity. However, this high rate could be explained by an outbreak of hepatitis A in 1992. In the remaining four provinces, the p attern was typically age-related in that all individuals showed between zer o and 13 percent antibody prevalence until reaching the 15-to-18-year age g roup where it increased to between 5.6 and 22.7 percent. The overall sere-p revalence among all age groups was 7.9 percent. Thus, the majority of the y ounger generation is susceptible to hepatitis A virus infection thereby enh ancing the impact, should an outbreak occur. Preventive measures that might be taken are education aimed at better hygiene and sanitation, as well as vaccination of susceptible individuals within high-risk populations.