Teens are susceptible to hepatitis B despite being vaccinated
Last reviewed: 22.10.2021
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Studies of scientists indicate that a significant number of adolescents are vulnerable to the hepatitis B virus, despite the fact that they have been fully vaccinated.
Infection with hepatitis B is one of the main global health problems, this infection has a variety of forms and features of development. The World Health Organization cites data according to which two billion people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B virus, and 360 million people are chronic carriers of the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg).
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that about 1.4 million Americans live with a chronic form of hepatitis B.
The study was conducted in Taiwan. The researchers found that transmission of the virus from mother to child (vertical transmission) is responsible for most of the cases of hepatitis B virus infection in this country. The chronic form of hepatitis B is a huge health problem.
To combat this serious illness, in 1984, the world's first vaccination program for newborn babies born from sick mothers was launched in Taiwan.
" Chronic hepatitis B leads to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) and liver failure and reduction in human life," said lead author of the study, Dr. Li-Yu Wang from Taipei Medical College in Taiwan. "While the vaccination of newborns against hepatitis is effective and shows good results, our study looks at the long-term success of hepatitis B vaccination."
A total of 8,733 schoolchildren born between July 1987 and July 1991 took part in the study of specialists and passed all the stages of vaccination. Experts evaluated the presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs - hepatitis B markers in their bodies, which indicate the presence or absence of a virus in the human blood. The average age of participants was sixteen years and 53% of the group were boys. All participants attended a school in Hualien County, located in the eastern part of Taiwan.
Fifteen percent of children who received immunoglobulin immunizations in combination with vaccination were found to have a surface antigen of hepatitis B virus HBsAg, a major marker of acute and chronic hepatitis B, which was significantly higher than the number of children whose mothers had HBsAg and who were fully vaccinated immunoglobulin in accordance with the schedule.
Previous studies of scientists reported a decrease in the incidence among children due to an effective vaccination program.
Researchers also believe that routine therapy during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of infection of the baby with the hepatitis B virus in the future. However, they emphasize that the safety and efficacy of this type of therapy should be demonstrated in large-scale studies before it is recommended.