TY - JOUR T1 - The Effect of Vaccine Policy on HAV Seropositivity of Syrian Immigrants and Local Turkish People TT - JF - JoMMID JO - JoMMID VL - 8 IS - 3 UR - http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-268-en.html Y1 - 2020 SP - 93 EP - 97 KW - Hepatitis A Virus KW - anti-HAV antibodies KW - Seroprevalence KW - Syrian refugees KW - Turks N2 - Introduction: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection poses a significant public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study investigated the effect of vaccination policies on the HAV seropositivity of Syrian immigrants and local Turkish people. Methods: The anti-HAV antibodies of 6007 patients, including 5613 (93.4%) Turks and 394 (6.6%) Syrian suspected of HAV infection, were analyzed by the chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) method. Results: In our study, total anti-HAV positivity was higher in Turkish patients than in Syrian patients in the 0-9 age group, while in the 10-19, 20-29, and 30-39 age groups, the rate was higher in Syrians. Anti-HAV seropositivity was significantly higher in Turkish male patients than female patients. The young adult and adult age groups of Turks were more at risk of HAV infection, i.e., when the disease is symptomatic. Conclusion: Vaccination of young and young adult seronegative Turks and ensuring Syrian children's participation in the routine vaccination program implemented in our country is a requirement for preventing HAV infection. M3 10.29252/JoMMID.8.3.93 ER -