Study Examines Long-Term Effectiveness of Hepatitis A Vaccination in Children

In a follow-up study of children who were vaccinated against hepatitis A virus at ages 6 to 21 months, most children who were vaccinated at 12 or 15 months continued to have anti-hepatitis A antibodies in their blood until at least age 15 to 16 years, and modeling experiments suggested that this protection should persist for at least 30 years.

"The findings support current US hepatitis A vaccine recommendations and do not suggest a need for vaccine booster doses in these individuals," says Dr. Philip Spradling, lead author of the Hepatology study.