Prevention of Hepatitis A Through Active or Passive Immunization

Future Considerations

Both combination vaccines and new information are needed to achieve the goal of substantially reducing the incidence of hepatitis A through routine vaccination of infants or young children. Issues that should be addressed through clinical trials and other studies include the following:

• Determining vaccine doses or schedules to overcome the reduced immune response observed among infants who have passively acquired maternal anti-HAV;

• Developing vaccines that combine HAV antigen with other antigens to more readily integrate hepatitis A vaccine into existing childhood vaccination schedules;
  Advertisement

• Determining the long-term protection afforded by hepatitis A immunization. This determination will require the development of diagnostic assays that can distinguish between vaccine-induced antibody and antibody caused by natural infection;

• Defining the most effective vaccination strategies for interrupting and preventing communitywide outbreaks; and

• Determining whether hepatitis A vaccine will provide an adequate level of postexposure protection from HAV infection.
  Back | Next
  Table of Contents