Hepatitis A Risk and Foreign Adoptions

Authors of a new study say children adopted from outside the United States should be tested for hepatitis A. The study found that nearly one-third of these children may be immune to the virus. Therefore, they would not need vaccinations. About 1% of the children had active infections that they could spread to others. But most did not have symptoms. Therefore, U.S. health officials recommend hepatitis A shots for all people who adopt from countries where infection with the virus is widespread. This should occur at least two weeks before they meet the child. The new study looked at blood tests for 288 children. All had been adopted from abroad. Overall, 29% had antibodies that showed they were immune to hepatitis A. Immunity varied by region. The highest rate was 72% among African children. About 39% of Latin American and Caribbean children were immune.