ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To better understand and measure the impact from immunization activities over the last 10-years, we conducted a sero-epidemiological study using the remaining blood samples of a nationwide survey on Nutrition and Health in Chinese residents, in 2002.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc in blood samples were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) reagents and revised by solid phase radioimmunoassay and Abbott ELISA reagents.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among population older than 3 years, the prevalence rates of HBsAg, anti-HBs and hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection were 9.09%, 37.48% and 50.04% but for children between 3 and 12 year olds, they were 5.03%, 45.33% and 29.10% respectively. Among population older than 3 years, the rates of HBsAg and HBV infection in urban area were 4.61% and 43.51%, but the rates in rural area were 9.41% and 56.77% respectively while for children from 3-years to 12-years old, they rates were 2.10%, 20.45% in urban area and 8.25%, 39.22% in rural areas, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Results revealed that since the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced into the expanded program on immunization(EPI) from 1992, the prevalence rates of HBsAg and HBV infection, especially in the children from 3 to 12 years of age, had obviously declined, suggesting that some changes had happened in the epidemic characters of hepatitis B in China.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Age Distribution , China , Epidemiology , Hepatitis B , Blood , Epidemiology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sex Distribution , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines , Allergy and ImmunologyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The expanded programme on immunization (EPI) is an important part of the social commonwealth projects providing health care service by the government, which benefits communities. Government has the responsibility for EPI's financing which should be covered by the national budget. It is essential that the cost of EPI service be scientifically estimated to provide propriety information for policy makers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study, using the cost accounting theory of health economics, to calculate EPI service cost at different levels. 3 provinces, 3 prefectures, 9 counties, 18 towns and 12 villages were selected from three provinces Guizhou, Heilongjiang and Zhejiang from the western, central and eastern regions of the country.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average costs for one EPI-targeted child in Guizhou, Heilongjiang and Zhejiang, were 15.68 Yuan, 29.00 Yuan and 31.09 Yuan, and the costs for one dose were 10.99 Yuan, 18.64 Yuan and 16.51 Yuan, respectively. The costs for complete immunization program for one child were 131.88 Yuan, 242.32 Yuan and 280.67 Yuan, respectively. The main factors affecting the cost would include the average personnel cost (salary and benefit cost) by different economic levels of areas, the number of EPI items developed, and the number of total doses for one child.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>(1) Obvious differences were found between different areas. (2) The proportion of the cost was not reasonably set because of the shortage of input. (3) Guideline for different areas to compensate the working item cost according to the number of the items should be formulated.</p>