Interactive data analysis : development of an interactive data manipulation system.

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Hepatitis A vaccine: Persistence of antibodies 5 years after the first vaccination

The recent development of safe and effective inactivated hepatitis A vaccines provides the opportunity to control hepatitis A. However, effective control will depend upon the duration of protection provided by the vaccine. Evaluation of persistence of antibodies over time is essential for the determination of vaccination schedules and strategies. For this purpose blood samples were obtained from 140 volunteers, 5 years after the administration of three 720 ELISA units (EU) doses of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine according to a 0, 1 and 6 month schedule. All serum samples were tested for anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies using a sensitive ELISA inhibition assay. All subjects, except one, had anti-HAV titres ≤20 mIU ml-1. The geometric mean titre (GMT) was 1258 mIU ml-1. All individual titres were at least 10 times higher than the minimum protective level. According to the rate of antibody level decrease over time, the predicted duration of antibodies is estimated to be at least 20 years

Decline of hepatitis B infection in Greece

Hepatitis B has long been a serious public health problem in Greece. In recent years, a decline in hepatitis B infection is observed ascribable to many factors such as demographic and socioeconomic changes, medical precautions, use of disposable medical equipments, screening of blood donors and vaccination. We studied the prevalence of HBV infection in a sample of 1050 Greek male Navy recruits. 343 subjects (32.6%) had previously been vaccinated and were anti-HBs positive. We observed that during the last decade, the prevalence of immunes declined to 1.33% and the prevalence of any HBV marker declined to 2.28%. The HBsAg carrier rate declined from 3.9% in 1973 to 0.9% in 1986. Since then, it is stable at 0.95% because perinatal and vertical transmissions are still responsible for the majority of HBV chronic infections. Universal prenatal screening and infant immunization will contribute to a further decline of HBV infection

Hepatitis A vaccination in Greek military recruits

Improved standards of sanitation have contributed to a shift in the prevalence of hepatitis A in countries such as Greece. Children are now coming into first contact with the infection at an increasingly later age, leaving more adults susceptible to the disease. In military forces where close living conditions prevail, the likelihood of infection is even more pronounced. An inactivated hepatitis A vaccine has been developed and has been administered successfully to over 24,000 healthy children and adults. This vaccine would be of considerable benefit to military personnel worldwide. The reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a hepatitis A vaccine were evaluated in 200 female military recruits, aged from 17 to 23 years, vaccinated according to a primary vaccination schedule at 0 and 1 months with a booster dose at 6 months. Symptoms reported following vaccination were generally mild and transient. Soreness at the site of injection was the most frequent local symptom and malaise was the most common general symptom. Clinically significant increases in serum liver enzyme levels were not detected. All subjects had seroconverted after the primary vaccination course and maintained anti‐HAV titres up to the time of the administration of the booster dose. The booster dose produced more than a tenfold increase in the geometric mean titre (GMT). © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Copyright © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Compan