Seroprevalence of hepatitis B among the general population in Shandong Province, Eastern China, an update 30 years after the implementation of the neonatal vaccination program.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968551 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2334 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712334 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Infect Dis Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Hepatitis B*/epidemiology ; Hepatitis B*/prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Vaccines*/administration & dosage ; Hepatitis B Vaccines*/immunology ; Immunization Programs* ; Hepatitis B Antibodies*/blood; Humans ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; China/epidemiology ; Adult ; Female ; Child ; Male ; Adolescent ; Infant ; Middle Aged ; Child, Preschool ; Young Adult ; Infant, Newborn ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/immunology ; Aged ; Prevalence ; Hepatitis B virus/immunology ; Vaccination/statistics & numerical data

Background: In 1992, Hepatitis B vaccine was first recommended for routine neonatal immunization in China. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Shandong Province, eastern China (updating our previous study in 2014), and to help guide the efforts of hepatitis B elimination.
Methods: We determined prevalence of HBV infection from the remaining serum samples collected through a population-based survey, which was originally intended for a seroepidemiological survey of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies conducted in 2023. The samples (n = 5000) were obtained from individuals all-aged over 1 year residing in ten counties of Shandong Province. The chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay was used to detect serological markers of HBV.
Results: In total, 4999 samples were eligible for the test of hepatitis B. The overall prevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc in the 2023 survey was 2.25% (95%CI:1.64-2.87), 46.21% (95%CI:44.05-48.38), and 25.17% (95%CI:23.46-26.88), respectively. The HBsAg prevalence has dropped to 0.28% among individuals younger than 30 years, particularly with less than 0.1% among children aged 1-14 (considerably below the 8% prevalence recorded in 1992). The peak prevalence of HBsAg was observed in individuals aged 40-49 years (5.63%), followed by those aged 30-39 (3.11%).
Conclusion: The Shandong Province has achieved substantial success in controlling HBV infection among the younger generation through the newborn routine vaccination program. To accelerate progress towards the goal of eliminating hepatitis B in the province, additional strategies should also be adopted in parallel, including increasing diagnostic coverage, expanding antiviral treatment, and enhancing hepatitis B vaccine coverage for HBV-susceptible adults.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The survey was approved by the Ethics Committee of the China CDC. The informed consent was obtained from all participants, or their parents or legal guardians if the participants were under the age of 18. The use of the remaining samples to test for serologic indicators of hepatitis B was approved by the Shandong CDC Ethics Committee (SDJK-2023-012-01). Consent for publication: All participants consented to the publication of this manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

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tstp20221164 Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province

Keywords: HBV elimination; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B vaccine; Prevalence; Sero-epidemiology

0 (Hepatitis B Vaccines)
0 (Hepatitis B Antibodies)
0 (Hepatitis B Surface Antigens)

Date Created: 20241219 Date Completed: 20241219 Latest Revision: 20241219

20241219

10.1186/s12879-024-10340-0

39695996