Iwarson S, Wahl M
Dev Biol Stand. 1983;54:419-22.
Scandinavians present antibodies to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) in low frequency or under 25% in ages up to 50 years. This means that Scandinavians ought to be particularly vulnerable when travelling to hyperendemic hepatitis A areas. About one million Swedes travel to the Mediterranean area each year and about 75% of these travellers receive gammaglobulin before departure. Since hepatitis A is a notifiable disease in Sweden it is possible to compare the incidence of this disease in travellers during different periods of time. In the early seventies the prevalence of hepatitis A in Mediterranean travellers was one case in about 3000 travellers, while in 1980 the calculated prevalence had declined to one case in about 6000 travellers without gammaglobulin prophylaxis. The declining prevalence of hepatitis A in Swedish travellers to the northern part of the Mediterranean area is probably due to increased socio-economic and hygienic standard in the countries concerned. The relatively low prevalence of hepatitis A infection among Swedish travellers to the northern part of the Mediterranean area is in sharp contrast to the high prevalence found in Northern Africa and the Middle East (one case in about 300 travellers) as well as in Tropical Africa and Asia (one case in about 100 travellers).
斯堪的纳维亚人在50岁及以下年龄段人群中，甲型肝炎病毒抗体（抗-HAV）的出现频率较低，即低于25%。这意味着斯堪的纳维亚人前往甲型肝炎高度流行地区旅行时可能特别容易感染。每年约有100万瑞典人前往地中海地区，其中约75%的旅行者在出发前接受了丙种球蛋白注射。由于甲型肝炎在瑞典属于应报告的疾病，因此可以比较不同时期旅行者中这种疾病的发病率。在70年代初，前往地中海地区的旅行者中甲型肝炎的患病率约为每3000名旅行者中有1例，而在1980年，在未接受丙种球蛋白预防的旅行者中，计算出的患病率已降至约每6000名旅行者中有1例。瑞典前往地中海地区北部旅行者中甲型肝炎患病率的下降，可能是由于相关国家社会经济和卫生标准的提高。瑞典前往地中海地区北部旅行者中甲型肝炎感染率相对较低，这与在北非和中东地区（约每300名旅行者中有1例）以及热带非洲和亚洲地区（约每100名旅行者中有1例）发现的高感染率形成鲜明对比。
