Elsevier

Vaccine

Volume 28, Issue 3, 8 January 2010, Pages 583-588
Vaccine

Conference report
Hepatitis A and E: Update on prevention and epidemiology

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.10.136Get rights and content

Abstract

In March 2009 the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) organized a meeting in Antwerp, in order to review the status of epidemiology and prevention of both hepatitis A and E. International hepatitis experts from the public health and academic sector provided the state of the art on HAV and emphasized the growing public health importance of the disease, in particular in intermediate endemicity regions, and the need for control at global level. The information shared on HEV showed clearly that it is emerging, but still a lot of efforts are needed to clarify among others the transmission routes, the clinical presentations and the burden of disease. First data on hepatitis E vaccines were discussed, showing a promising safety and efficacy profile. The meeting was concluded with lessons learnt, challenges, needs and proposed step forwards for both diseases.

Introduction

In March 2009, the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) organized a meeting to review the epidemiology of both hepatitis A and hepatitis E and to determine the status of prevention of these two diseases. For hepatitis A, the specific objectives were to provide feedback from the global meeting held in Miami, Florida, in December 2007, which posed the question “Has the time come to control hepatitis A globally?”; to give an update on epidemiology and prevention; to draw lessons for western Europe and the WHO European Region; and to identify future initiatives and related topics. For hepatitis E, the objectives were to provide an overview of the virology, to review the disease and its epidemiology globally, including zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus, to assess its emergence in non-endemic/endemic countries, and to examine the prospects for a hepatitis E vaccine.

Section snippets

Epidemiology

As the broad epidemiological picture of hepatitis A changes, the public health importance of the disease is increasingly being recognized. It is a significant cause of morbidity globally, even if the mortality rate due to hepatitis A is low (improved intensive care and transplantation have contributed to the reduction in deaths). Although the basic routes of transmission are well understood – from person-to-person, and through contaminated food and water – and effective and safe vaccines exist,

Epidemiology

Water-borne epidemics of hepatitis have been known in Africa and Asia for a long time, but hepatitis E was only recognized as a distinct human disease in 1980 through the application of serological tests that ruled out hepatitis. Reporting of hepatitis E is not consistent between countries; it is not notifiable in for example the UK and USA, but is in, for instance, Australia, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is now established as a major cause of sporadic cases as well as

Acknowledgements

The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board is supported by unrestricted educational grants from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Sanofi Pasteur MSD and several European Universities and other institutes.

References (5)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

View full text