1.
EMHJ-Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2008; 14 (4): 960-965
in English
| IMEMR
| ID: emr-157234
ABSTRACT
The duration of protection after hepatitis B vaccination in children is unknown. We determined the serum level of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen [anti-HBsAg] in 273 randomly selected 7-9-year-old schoolchildren from Zanjan City, Islamic Republic of Iran, who had been fully vaccinated against hepatitis B starting at birth. Titres = 10 mIU/mL were considered unprotective. Just over half of the children [52%] had titres = 10 mIU/mL with no difference between the sexes, while 81 [29.7%] had no anti-HBsAg [0 mIU/mL]. Three of the children had antibodies to hepatitis B core protein. More studies are needed to determine the necessity for or timing of booster doses