Stopyra Lidia, Banach Karolina, Wood Magdalena, Stala Justyna, Merklinger-Gruchała Anna
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University Medical College, 30-705 Kraków, Poland.
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital, 31-913 Kraków, Poland.
Vaccines (Basel). 2025 Jul 31;13(8):816. doi: 10.3390/vaccines13080816.
The 2022 conflict in Ukraine triggered mass migration, leading to a significant influx of Ukrainian refugee children into Poland. This situation raises concerns about hepatitis B virus immunity, as Ukraine's hepatitis B vaccination coverage has been inconsistent compared to Poland's high vaccination rates.
To evaluate hepatitis B immunity and infection prevalence among Ukrainian refugee children residing in Southern Poland and to assess implications for vaccination strategies in the host country.
A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 1322 Ukrainian refugee children (0-18 years) presenting to a pediatric infectious diseases department in Southern Poland between February 2022 and March 2024. Data on vaccination history, demographic characteristics, and selected laboratory parameters, including hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HBs antibody levels, were collected. Protective immunity was defined as anti-HBs antibody levels ≥10 IU/L.
Among the participants (mean age 9.9 years; 50.2% female), 83.2% were reported as vaccinated according to national immunization programs, but only 64.9% demonstrated protective anti-HBs antibody levels. Protective antibody prevalence declined significantly with age, with less than half of adolescents aged 15-18 years showing immunity. Five children (0.4%) were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, four of whom were unvaccinated.
This study identifies a significant gap in hepatitis B immunity among Ukrainian adolescent refugees residing in Southern Poland, with less than half possessing protective anti-HBs antibody levels. This immunity gap and the high risk of sexual transmission of the hepatitis B virus in adolescents highlight the urgent need for comprehensive surveillance, screening, and catch-up vaccination programs.
2022年乌克兰冲突引发了大规模移民，导致大量乌克兰难民儿童涌入波兰。这种情况引发了对乙型肝炎病毒免疫力的担忧，因为与波兰的高疫苗接种率相比，乌克兰的乙型肝炎疫苗接种覆盖率一直不稳定。
评估居住在波兰南部的乌克兰难民儿童的乙型肝炎免疫力和感染率，并评估对东道国疫苗接种策略的影响。
对2022年2月至2024年3月期间到波兰南部一家儿科传染病科就诊的1322名乌克兰难民儿童（0至18岁）进行了一项前瞻性横断面研究。收集了疫苗接种史、人口统计学特征以及包括乙型肝炎表面抗原和抗-HBs抗体水平在内的选定实验室参数的数据。保护性免疫定义为抗-HBs抗体水平≥10 IU/L。
在参与者（平均年龄9.9岁；50.2%为女性）中，据报告83.2%的人按照国家免疫规划接种了疫苗，但只有64.9%的人表现出保护性抗-HBs抗体水平。保护性抗体患病率随年龄显著下降，15至18岁的青少年中不到一半具有免疫力。五名儿童（0.4%）被诊断为慢性乙型肝炎，其中四名未接种疫苗。
本研究发现居住在波兰南部的乌克兰青少年难民在乙型肝炎免疫力方面存在显著差距，不到一半的人拥有保护性抗-HBs抗体水平。这种免疫差距以及青少年中乙型肝炎病毒性传播的高风险凸显了全面监测、筛查和补种疫苗计划的迫切需求。
