The first five years of universal hepatitis B vaccination in South Africa: evidence for elimination of HBsAg carriage in under 5-year-olds.

South Africa implemented a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) into the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in April 1995. The HBV vaccine is given at 6, 10, and 14 weeks, in parallel with OPV, DTP and Hib vaccines. This study assessed the impact of universal childhood HBV vaccination programme in reducing HBsAg carriage, in the first five years (1995--1999) since its implementation.