Kwon So Young
Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Korean J Hepatol. 2009 Dec;15 Suppl 6:S7-12. doi: 10.3350/kjhep.2009.15.S6.S7.
The seroprevalence of anti-HAV (hepatitis A virus) has been decreasing in Korea. The decrease in HAV infection in young adults has resulted in the reduction of individuals with protective antibody and an increase in hepatitis A in the adult population. The increase in HAV infection in adults will have an impact on the magnitude and severity of the disease. In Korea, symptomatic hepatitis A has been gradually increasing since the mid-1990s, with a tendency toward an increase in mean age and disease severity. The endemic genotype of HAV in Korea has been changing from genotype IA alone to a mixture of genotype IA and IIIA. Therefore, preventive measures including universal vaccination in infants and active immunization of the adult population should be considered.
韩国抗甲型肝炎病毒（HAV）的血清流行率一直在下降。年轻成年人中甲型肝炎病毒感染率的下降导致了具有保护性抗体的个体减少，以及成年人群中甲型肝炎发病率的上升。成年人中甲型肝炎病毒感染率的上升将对疾病的规模和严重程度产生影响。在韩国，自20世纪90年代中期以来，有症状的甲型肝炎病例一直在逐渐增加，平均年龄和疾病严重程度呈上升趋势。韩国甲型肝炎病毒的地方流行基因型已从仅IA型转变为IA型和IIIA型的混合。因此，应考虑采取包括婴儿普遍接种疫苗和成年人群主动免疫在内的预防措施。
