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Hepatitis A among schoolchildren in a US-Mexico border community
T Redlinger1, K O'Rourke, J VanDerslice
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso 79968, USA.
Objectives:
A cross-sectional study investigated the association of hepatitis A seropositivity with environmental and personal risk factors among children in a United States-Mexico border community.
Methods:
Hepatitis A serological markers and a questionnaire identifying risk factors were evaluated for 523 primary school children.
Results:
Of the children studied, 16.9% tested positive for total antihepatitis A virus. Risk factors included being in the first grade, low maternal educational attainment, living in Mexico for more than 6 months, household crowding, and inadequate excreta disposal systems.
Conclusions:
To decrease enteric disease, improvements in excreta disposal infrastructures and educational programs are needed. Hepatitis A vaccine should be administered before school age.