Dramatic Decline in Hepatitis B Evident Due to Universal Immunization

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Dramatic Decline in Hepatitis B Evident Due to Universal Immunization

A 20-year study of the impact of universal hepatitis B immunization in newborns in Taiwan, published in the journal Pediatrics, found the vaccine has dramatically reduced the rate of chronic hepatitis B in children. Hepatitis B-related kidney problems fell from 11.6% (1974-1984) to zero (2004-2009).

The researchers monitored the rate of  HBV-associated membranous nephropathy (a kidney disorder that occurs when the organ becomes inflamed and can no longer filter waste and fluids) in 471 children. The rate of nephrotic syndrome was

11.6% between 1974 and 1984;
4.5% between 1984 and 1994;
2.1% between 1994 and 2004;
and 0% between 2004 and 2009.
Similarly, the number of children who were chronically infected with hepatitis B also declined dramatically.

“The vaccine produced a profound decline in hepatitis B virus infection via a reduction in horizontal (mother-to-child) transmission as well as a significant decrease in the overall incidence of hepatitis B virus-associated membranous nephropathy, which is closely related to hepatitis B horizontal infection,” they wrote.

The researchers said their data mirror other studies that found a sharp decline in liver cancer after implementation of universal hepatitis vaccination in Taiwan.

Another study of universal hepatitis B immunization, published in the journal Hepatology, assessed the impact of universal immunization and large-scale screening among Alaska Native people, who historically have had high rates of HBV infection and liver cancer. The 25-year study began in 1984.

The rate of HBV infections in people under age 20 fell from 19 cases per 100,000 in 1981-1982 to zero in 1993-1994. No cases of acute HBV (indicating new infections) have occurred in children since 1992.

Liver cancer rates in children decreased from 3 per 100,000 in 1984-1988 to zero in 1995-1999, and no cases have occurred since 1999. The number of identified HBsAg-positive Alaska Native children dropped from 657 in 1987 to two in 2008.

“Universal newborn vaccination coupled with mass screening and immunization of susceptible Alaska Natives has eliminated (liver cancer) and (new) HBV infections among Alaska Native children and this approach is the best way to prevent HBV-related disease in children,” the researchers reported.