Publications by authors named "M Alhowasi"

The prevalence of anti-HAV antibody in children was tested in subjects presenting at clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A blood sample was taken to test for the presence of IgG (indicating past infection) and a questionnaire concerning personal and epidemiological data relating to hepatitis A was completed. In total, 592 children aged 6 months to 15 years were suitable for the analysis.

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Background: Saudi children vaccinated with a primary series of Hib vaccine (HbOC) at six weeks, three and five months have shown higher antibody titers compared to recent data from the U.S. The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence of antibodies and to measure the immunogenicity of a booster dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine in Saudi children.

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Background: The aim of this report was to study the immunogenicity of three doses of DTP in six-week-old Saudi infants when given either as World Health Organization (WHO) DTP or Federal Drug Administration (FDA) DTP formula.

Methods: As part of the Haemophilus influenzae type b immunization research protocol, six-week-old infants were randomized into three groups to receive three doses of HbOC and WHO DTP formula, HbOC and FDA DTP formula, or in a control group to receive the usual vaccines without HbOC, at six weeks, three months and five months. Antibody levels for PRP, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis were measured after the third dose.

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This article describesthe tremendous efforts made in the field of measles immunization in Saudi Arabia in the past 20 years, from the control phase to the elimination phase. Mandatory measles vaccination with one-dose Schwartz vaccine was introduced in 1982 by a royal decree, a step aimed at increasing vaccine coverage. In 1991, a two-dose schedule was implemented using Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine, with a first dose at 6 months to protect children younger than 9 months and a second dose of MMR at 12 months of age to protect those who did not respond to the first dose.

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