Serological Status of Vaccine and Hepatitis B Virus Exposure Among Children Under 5 and Aged 15–17 Years in Kampala, Uganda
Fahad Muwanda,
Edward Kiyonga,
Joan Nambafu,
Agnes Turyamubona,
Hussein Mukasa Kafeero,
Edgar Kigozi,
Harriet Mupere Babikako,
Enock Wekiya,
Gerald Mboowa,
David Patrick Kateete,
Hakim Sendagire,
Paul J. Norman,
Bernard Ssentalo Bagaya
Affiliations
Fahad Muwanda
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Edward Kiyonga
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Joan Nambafu
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Agnes Turyamubona
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Hussein Mukasa Kafeero
Department of Medical Microbiology, Habib Medical School, Islamic University in Uganda, Kampala P.O. Box 7689, Uganda
Edgar Kigozi
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Harriet Mupere Babikako
Child and Family Foundation Uganda (CFU) Medical Center, Plot 816/7, Block 206 Mpererwe-Ttula Kawempe Road, Kampala P.O. Box 73243, Uganda
Enock Wekiya
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Gerald Mboowa
The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Infectious Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 22418, Uganda
David Patrick Kateete
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Hakim Sendagire
Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Paul J. Norman
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 13001 East 17th Place, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Bernard Ssentalo Bagaya
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda
Background: Pediatric hepatitis B virus (HBV) serostatus remains variably characterized, hardly determined at times, or documented as part of national monitoring of the Extended Programs for Immunization (EPI). Methods: We cross-sectionally characterized the seroprevalence of HBV vaccine and/or infection status among 501 and 288 children Results: The seroprevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe, and anti-HBc was 1.52%, 27.75%, 0.88%, 0.63%, and 0.76%, respectively, for the combined study age groups. The HBsAg seroprevalence of 2.78% was almost 3.5-fold higher among adolescents when compared to the 0.8% observed in the under-5-year-olds. The qualitative seroprevalence of anti-HBs was 33.1% and 18.4% in the under-5 and among the 15–17-year-old study groups, respectively. Conclusions: The proportion of qualitatively detectable anti-HBs in both groups of vaccinated children is low and probably indicates reduced seroprotection. Consequently, a large proportion of children who received the hepatitis B vaccine under UNEPI may be at risk of HBV infection, especially adolescents. A booster dose of the Hepatitis B Vaccine may be required for adolescents.
