Risk of Hepatitis A Infection among Young Travelers to Developing Countries: The Need for Vaccination

In France, as in most industrialized countries, the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection decreases due to improvements in hygiene and sanitation, but is still frequent in developing countries.1 In a cohort of military recruits followed up in France, this rate fell from 50% in 1978 to 16% in 1994.2 It is likely, therefore, that young travelers from industrialized countries would not have prior immunity and would be more susceptible to HAV infection when visiting endemic areas.3 However, a safe and effective vaccine for hepatitis A has been available since 1992.4 To highlight the need for this vaccination in young people traveling to such countries, we report a cluster of cases of hepatitis A in a troop of French scouts after they visited a West African village.