RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of hepaccine B. DESIGN: Vaccination on first-come-first-served basis. SETTING: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) staff and families at Nairobi, Kenya. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 107 vaccinees aged 0-10 years and 10 years and above. MAIN OUTCOME: Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti HBs) checked one month after the third dose of the vaccine. RESULTS: Ninety seven per cent of the vaccinees developed antiHBs. Side effects were few in the form of soreness at site of injection and headache. CONCLUSION: Hepaccine B produced good immune response in vaccinees with minimal side effects.
Asunto(s)
Vacunas contra Hepatitis B/inmunología , Plasma/inmunología , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Preescolar , Cefalea/etiología , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Vacunas contra Hepatitis B/efectos adversos , Humanos , Esquemas de Inmunización , Lactante , Kenia , Dolor/etiologíaRESUMEN
We undertook a study on selected samples from patients who had presented with viral hepatitis and conditions of the liver (liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma). Diagnosis, screening and confirmation for viral hepatitis was done using a battery of techniques: ultrasound, conventional serological methods (Hepatitis B surface Antigen [HBsAg] - Reverse Passive Haemagglutination [RPHA], Hepatitis B core Antibody [HBcAb] - Passive Haemagglutination [PHA], Alpha-feto Protein - RPHA), Hepatitis B e Antigen/Antibody [HBeAg/Ab] - Radioimmunoassay [RIA], Hepatitis C antibody [HCV-Ab] - Enzyme Immunosorbent Assay [EIA]. Due to the high specificity and sensitivity of the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique [PCR] in detecting the viral genomes, it was used to establish the presence of the HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA to correlate the serological diagnosis of their respective seromarkers. A total of 39 serum samples were tested comprising 11 blood donors, 8 chronic liver disease patients and 20 hepatocellular carcinoma cases. 4/19 (21%) HCV-antibody (C-l) reactive samples were found to be positive for HCV-RNA by PCR. 14 of the 19 (73.7%) including the 4 HCV-RNA positive cases tested positive for HBcAb. 6 of 11 (55%) HBsAg positive cases also tested positive for HBV-DNA by PCR, In 8 of 20 (40%) hepatocellular carcinoma cases, no aetiological role could be assigned to hepatitis B or C as only HBcAb was demonstrated in those cases.
RESUMEN
In Kenya hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its sequelae are common. We followed up 49 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)- positive mothers and their newborn infants for 9 months to determine the importance of perinatal transmission in the African and to relate this to the HBe and HBV-DNA status of the mother. Our study shows that perinatal transmission is relatively unimportant in Kenya and that this may be a consequence of the low levels of circulating HBV-DNA in the maternal plasma. These results imply that vaccination without hyperimmune globulin may be adequate to control HBV infection in Kenya.
Asunto(s)
Hepatitis B/transmisión , ADN Viral/sangre , Femenino , Hepatitis B/congénito , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis B/análisis , Antígenos del Núcleo de la Hepatitis B/análisis , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/análisis , Antígenos e de la Hepatitis B/análisis , Virus de la Hepatitis B/genética , Virus de la Hepatitis B/inmunología , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina M/análisis , Kenia , EmbarazoRESUMEN
In 1982-1984, an epidemiologic survey of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in circulating blood (HBs-antigenemia) and of hepatitis delta virus infection was performed in Kenya. The distributions of hepatitis B virus and the delta virus were shown to be very variable. In southern Kenya, only two of 202 sera from HBsAg-positive individuals with no known liver disease and none from 123 HBsAg-positive patients with hepatitis B-related liver disease were positive for delta antibody. In contrast, in northern Kenya, there was an overall prevalence of delta antibody in healthy individuals of 31%. The distribution of delta infection is discussed in relation to lifestyle, ethnic group, and geographic area.