Adult hospitalizations due to hepatitis A virus infection in six tertiary hospitals across Bangladesh: December 2014 – September 2017
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Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is spread through the fecal-oral route. The age of infection largely determines the clinical severity; children typically have asymptomatic or mild illness, but infected adults more commonly develop clinical disease. Many countries have experienced improvements in water and sanitation which could lead to increases in the burden of HAV due to increases in the age of infection. This report summarizes the contribution of HAV to hospitalizations among patients aged >14 years from acute jaundice during 2014 - 2017 across Bangladesh. Among 1,923 patients, 148 (8%) had anti-HAV IgM antibodies in their serum; 26% were co-infected with hepatitis E or B viruses, or both, including 3 of the 4 deaths among patients with HAV infection. An outbreak of HAV was detected at one hospital during 2016. HBV vaccination was introduced in 2005, but additional hepatitis vaccination strategies may be needed to further reduce hepatitis hospitalizations and deaths.
