Key result
During a Hepatitis A outbreak at a facility for the disabled, the attack rate was 23.3% among residents compared to 6.1% among staff, highlighting the vulnerability of this population.
Why the study?
The number of hepatitis A virus infections has sharply increased in Korea, especially among young adults, prompting an investigation into an outbreak in a facility for disabled people.
Cohort (n=63)
No
Absolute Event Rate: 23.3% vs 6.1%
This epidemiological investigation highlights the high susceptibility of disabled residents to HAV infection and emphasizes the need to prioritize HAV vaccination for vulnerable groups and workers in residential care facilities.
Residents in disability facilities show higher HAV susceptibility during outbreaks; leaves open whether targeted vaccination reduces risk in similar settings.
OBJECTIVES: The number of cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections has sharply increased in Korea, especially among young adults. In this study, an HAV outbreak in a facility for disabled people was investigated, and we found epidemiological differences both between 2 different generations and between generally abled and disabled groups. METHODS: We analyzed the incubation period and attack rate of an HAV outbreak and investigated the prevalence of HAV antibodies among the staff and residents of a facility for the disabled. We performed a retrospective cohort study during the HAV outbreak, which lasted from February 8 to 25, 2019, including examinations of HAV antibody tests and post-exposure HAV vaccination for the staff or residents of the facility. RESULTS: There were 9 confirmed cases in 2 staff members and 7 residents. Among 53 people (30 staff and 23 residents), except for the 9 confirmed cases and 1 staff member with a known history of HAV infection, HAV seroprevalence was seen in 16.7% of the staff under 40 years of age and 95.2% of those over 40 years of age, while the corresponding rates in the residents were 0.0% and 58.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This result implies that it is necessary to prioritize HAV vaccination for vulnerable groups and workers of residential care facilities.
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Chang et al. (2021) conducted a cohort in Hepatitis A (n=63). Residence in a facility for the disabled vs. Staff working at the facility was evaluated on Attack rate of Hepatitis A virus infection. During a Hepatitis A outbreak at a facility for the disabled, the attack rate was 23.3% among residents compared to 6.1% among staff, highlighting the vulnerability of this population.
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