Hepatitis B markers seroprevalence and vaccination coverage in adolescents in Southern Brazil

Introduction: Hepatitis B infection constitutes an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Brazil, however, the current epidemiological situation is not clear. Considering the importance of establishing this prevalence, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV markers in voluntary adolescents, elementary school students, in the city of Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods: A seroepidemiologic, transversal study was conducted with 353 randomly chosen adolescents from elementary school in 2008. Blood samples were analysed for HBsAg, anti-HBc and anti-HBs. All analyses were conducted by automated Microparticle Enzyme Immunosorbant Assay (Abbott®, AxSYM System, Deerfield, IL, USA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Results: The prevalence of HBsAg was 0.6% (CI 95% 0.1 – 2.0), that of anti-HBc was 1.1% (CI 95% 0.3 – 2.9) and that of detectable anti-HBs was 83.6% (CI 95% 79.3 – 87.3). The hepatitis B vaccination coverage was 97.5 (CI 95% 95.2 – 98.8). Conclusions: These results demonstrate the success of the vaccination program against hepatitis B in the region studied and indicate that prevention strategies must be maintained and, if possible, expanded to contribute to the establishment of positive prevalence rates in all age groups.