AI Article Synopsis
- Hepatitis A (HAV) and E (HEV) are the leading viral hepatitis causes in India, with a study from 2014-2017 analyzing data from 51 virology labs.
- Among 24,000 tested patients, 12.6% were positive for HAV, 16.1% for HEV, and 1.3% for both, with HAV mostly affecting younger individuals and HEV more common in adults.
- The findings underline the importance of improving drinking water safety and sanitation, along with expanding lab networks for better surveillance to consider adding a hepatitis A vaccine to immunization programs.
Article Abstract
Hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses (HAV and HEV) are the most common etiologies of viral hepatitis in India. To better understand the epidemiology of these infections, laboratory surveillance data generated during 2014-2017, by a network of 51 virology laboratories, were analyzed. Among 24,000 patients tested for both HAV and HEV, 3,017 (12.6%) tested positive for HAV, 3,865 (16.1%) for HEV, and 320 (1.3%) for both HAV and HEV. Most (74.6%) HAV patients were aged ≤ 19 years, whereas 76.9% of HEV patients were aged ≥ 20 years. These laboratories diagnosed 12 HAV and 31 HEV clusters, highlighting the need for provision of safe drinking water and improvements in sanitation. Further expansion of the laboratory network and continued surveillance will provide data necessary for informed decision-making regarding introduction of hepatitis-A vaccine into the immunization program.
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|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6159565 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0232 | DOI Listing |
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