NIAID-Discovered Vaccine Used Worldwide Against Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that can occur after exposure to food or water contaminated by feces. Infections appear mostly in areas where sanitation is poor and living conditions are crowded.
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| An electron micrograph of the hepatitis A virus, which enters the body by ingestion of water or food contaminated by human feces and reaches the liver through the bloodstream. Credit: CDC/Betty Partin |
In the mid-1980s, researchers from the NIAID Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) partnered with GlaxoSmithKline to develop an LID-discovered vaccine against the hepatitis A virus (HAV). In 1995, Glaxo began marketing the vaccine in the United States under the brand name Havrix®. The vaccine, which contains inactivated, or killed, HAV, provides immunity from the virus for at least 10 years.
The results have been remarkable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis A rates in the United States have declined by 89 percent since the vaccine first became available. In 2006, incidence of the disease in the United States was at the lowest rate ever recorded.
CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination for all children over one year of age; for travelers to regions where the virus is common, such as Africa, Central America, and Eastern Europe; and for others at risk, including people with chronic liver disease and men who have sexual contact with other men.