The prevalence and influential factors of hepatitis A seropositivity and evaluate the one-year incidence in an elementary school at ankara city

THE PREVALENCE AND INFLUENTIAL FACTORS OF HEPATITIS ASEROPOSITIVITY AND EVALUATE THE ONE-YEAR INCIDENCE IN ANELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT ANKARA CITYDr. MUSTAFA NUR CEYHANSUMMARYThe hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is an important problem for public health becauseof its worldwide prevalence and the high morbidity and mortality rate in especially adult ages. Itis a preventable disease by primary protective methods.In the presented study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and influential factors ofhepatitis A seropositivity and to evaluate the one-year incidence of this disease in an elementaryschool at Ankara City. Thus, this is a cross sectional research in a way and a cohort research inanother way.The school of which the study was performed, is specified as belong to middle to lowsocioeconomical level. Total of 520 students was evaluated in two stages of the research with oneyear interval.The HAV seroprevalence of the students was determined as 27.5% at the date of the firstphase of the study. One year later, it was found 30.2% in the same students. At the second phaseof the study, the seropositivity was around 10% between the ages of 7 and 9, 20.9% at the ageof 10, 36.9% at the age of 11, 42.1% at the age of 12, 47.8% at the age of 13 and it reachedalmost 64.7% level at the age of 14. The increase of hepatitis A seropositivity with the age wasstatistically significant (p<0.001). The educated parents, low number of household, low numberof siblings, high income, bathroom, toilet, kitchen in the house, and increased frequency ofbathing affected the HAV seronegativity in a positive way. The 377 seronegative studentsdetected in the first phase were developed 3.7% of HAV one-year incidence.We believe that the age of infection appearance in Turkey shifted to the older ages, andwe suggest that there is a need to develop policies to decrease the number of sensitive individualsby active immunization against HAV infection.