Persistence of immunity against hepatitis A in Brazilian children vaccinated with a single dose of inactivated virus vaccine.

In 2014, the Brazilian National Immunization Program implemented the universal vaccination against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) for children aged 12 months and older, applying a single dose of the inactivated virus vaccine. It is essential to carry out follow-up studies in this population, aiming to verify the longevity of HAV immunological memory. This study evaluated the humoral and cellular immune response of a cohort of children vaccinated between 2014 and 2015, and further investigated between 2015 and 2016, and who had their initial antibody response assessed after the single dose.

Universal hepatitis A vaccination in Brazil: analysis of vaccination coverage and incidence five years after program implementation.

Introduction: In 2014, Brazil introduced a universal immunization program against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) for children in the second year of life, using a single dose of inactivated virus vaccine. The objective of this study was to evaluate the vaccination coverage (VC) against HAV in Brazil, against the incidence of cases reported five years after the implementation of the program.

Methodology: Secondary data were obtained by searching free access electronic sites of the Ministry of Health, Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde - DATASUS), for incidence analysis and VC from 2014 to 2018.

Impact of the single-dose universal mass vaccination strategy against hepatitis A in Brazil.

Universal vaccination of children against hepatitis A was introduced in 2014 in Brazil as a single-dose schedule. We analyzed the numbers of reported cases of hepatitis A virus infection (HAV) from 2010 to 2017 to evaluate the initial impact of that intervention. Data were assessed and has been freely available on the Brazilian Ministry of Health website.

Initial evaluation of universal immunization with a single dose against hepatitis A virus in Central Brazil.

Vaccination against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) administered in two doses has been used effectively in universal child immunization programs in several countries. A single-dose vaccination was adopted in some low-income countries in an attempt to reduce costs without losing effectiveness. In 2014, single-dose universal vaccination was introduced in Brazil for children aged two years.