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Impact of the Expanded Program of Immunization against hepatitis B infection in school children in Malaysia

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Abstract

The implementation of the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) in 1989 has dramatic impact on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in school children in Malaysia. A cross-sectional seroprevalence study of HBV infection in 190,077 school children aged 7–12 years from 1997 to 2003 showed a steady decline of HBV surfacce antigen (HBsAg) prevalence rate from 2.5% for children born in 1985 to 0.4% among school children born in 1996. The overall prevalence of HBsAg was 0.6%, 0.7% in males and 0.6% in females. Over 92.7% of school children had been vaccinated with HBV vaccine, in which 93.7% were vaccinated under the EPI and 6.3% on voluntary basis. The school children vaccinated under EPI had a 0.4% HBsAg carrier rate, which was significantly lower than school children vaccinated on a voluntary basis (HBsAg carrier rate 1.3%) and non-vaccinated school children (HBsAg carrier rate 2.7%), suggesting that HBV vaccination of infants was the most effective measure in preventing vertical transmission of HBV in the hyperendemic region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    K. P. Ng, T. L. Saw, A. Baki & K. Rozainah

  2. Primary Industry Statistics Division, Department of Statistics, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    K. W. Pang

  3. The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (Perak Branch), Ipoh, Malaysia

    M. Ramanathan

Authors
  1. K. P. Ng
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  2. T. L. Saw
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  3. A. Baki
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  4. K. Rozainah
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  5. K. W. Pang
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  6. M. Ramanathan
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Correspondence to K. P. Ng.

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Ng, K.P., Saw, T.L., Baki, A. et al. Impact of the Expanded Program of Immunization against hepatitis B infection in school children in Malaysia. Med Microbiol Immunol 194, 163–168 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-004-0231-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-004-0231-4

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