Hepatitis A vaccine

Abstract

Inactivated hepatitis A vaccines are highly immunogenic and efficacious. Because of their high disease rates and importance as a reservoir of transmission to others, children should be the primary focus of vaccination. A long-term strategy of sustained routine vaccination of children living in areas with consistently elevated hepatitis A rates has been adopted. Ultimately, elimination of HAV transmission will require vaccination of all children in the US. This effort would be facilitated by the availability of vaccine formulations or schedules for use in infants or children in the second year of life, and combination vaccines that include hepatitis A.