February 17, 2005: Health Highlights
Many children at high risk of hepatitis A aren’t being vaccinated for the disease as often as they receive other recommended shots, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports from its first-ever national analysis.
Hepatitis A vaccination rates for children aged 24 months to 35 months varied widely from 6.4 percent to 72.7 percent in areas where routine vaccination is recommended, the agency reported Thursday in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. These numbers were lower than overall rates for other recommended pediatric vaccines, the CDC said.
Vaccination rates were highest among ethnic populations that traditionally have been at risk of the liver disease, including Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaskan native children, the agency said. But more children should be inoculated if hepatitis A rates are to continue their recent decline, the CDC said.
Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A, which is normally transmitted via contact with contaminated feces, the agency said. Signs of the disease include jaundice, abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and diarrhea.