Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A among Medical Students of a Tertiary Care Centre in Kerala, Southern India.

Introduction: Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is a major cause of acute viral hepatitis caused by a Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) virus. The mode of transmission is fecal-oral route and the risk factors include unsafe water, poor personal hygiene and sanitation. Even though seroprevalence rate is high in low socio-economic regions, it is low in urban areas and the need of vaccination is looked for. Aim: To estimate the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in medical students of Southern India. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in the medical students of Government Medical College, Manjeri, Kerala, India. Blood samples of 377 students during the year 2015-2018 were taken. These students were in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year MBBS course who admitted in the years 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Commercially available Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ELISA) kits for anti HAV IgG antibodies were used. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of 377 participants 238 (63.2%) were females and 139 (36.8%) were males. A total of 51 (13.5%) were positive for IgG antibodies. A total of 43 were in 21-22 age group with a p-value >0.05. An association of seropositivity and seronegativity with frequency of dining out pattern was there with a p-value <0.05. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of hepatitis A was found in a declining stage hence, vaccination against hepatitis A should be included in the National Immunisation Schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]