Seroepidemiologic Survey for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Taiwan: The Effect of Hepatitis B Mass Immunization

A hepatitis B mass immunization program was launched in Taiwan in July 1984, beginning with newborns of hepatitis B carrier mothers for the first 2 years of the program, which was then extended to all newborns. Seroepidemiology was studied in 3 cohorts at age 6 years. Each cohort consisted of 1500 children proportionally and randomly sampled from those entering elementary school in 1989, 1991, and 1993, representing those born 1 year before the program began and years 1 and 3 of the program, respectively. By RIA, the hepatitis B surface antigen positivity rates in the groups were 10.5%, 6.3%, and 1.7%, respectively; hepatitis B surface antibody positivity rates were 36.9%, 62.0%, 65.4%; and hepatitis B infection rates were 25.0%, 15.9%, 4.3%. Thus, universal immunization was more effective in reducing hepatitis B carriage than selective immunization of newborns of carrier mothers only. The program has proved effective in controlling chronic hepatitis B infection in Taiwan.