European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS A VIRUS AMONG CHILDREN IN A RURAL TEACHING HOSPITAL, TAMILNADU

Rajkumar Narasinghan, S. Sakthi dasan, Vijaya Rayapu, Dhandapany Senthil Pragash*

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis A virus infection is a major public health problem all over the world, especially in developing countries. It has a worldwide distribution. The common site of Hepatitis A infection is contributed to the liver, which leads to impaired liver functions. Hepatitis A belongs to the group of RNA virus which commonly spreads through oral route, food and water contamination. It may spread through blood products but the prevalence rate is very less. Hepatitis A can be prevented by vaccination, good hygiene and sanitation. Materials and Methods: The present study was done on 121 children of age group 6 months to 15 years. The serum sample was tested for presence of anti-HAV antibodies using a commercially available ELISA kit. Results From our study we concluded that Out of 121 children, 106 were found to be positive for anti-HAV antibody. The anti-HAV positivity rates were different among different age groups and the occurrence of anti-HAV antibody among children increased as age increases and was found to be maximum among the age group of 11 - 15 years. In the high socioeconomic group, the occurrence of anti-HAV antibody was low when compared to low socioeconomic group.

Keywords: Hepatitis A virus, HAV, IgM, Anti-HAV.