Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus among urban children aged 0-7 years in yugoslavia

Summary In a study of the prevalence of hepatitis A virus antibody in urban Yugoslav children aged 0–7 years, 18·2 % were positive; most of them were only a few months old. The maternal origin of antibody in these very young children could be inferred from the rapid decrease of antibody during the first 5–7 months of life, following which period until the age of 7 years, there was no significant increase in the proportion with antibody. It was concluded that the age range included in this study (0–7 years) does not represent a time of life when most urban Yugoslav children come into contact with hepatitis A virus.