Why carry out this study?

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) can lead to severe hepatitis, especially in older age groups and people with pre-existing liver disease

The benefit of HAV vaccination depends on age-specific seroprevalence and endemicity level in a given region

The goal of the study was to determine seroprevalence in the Philippines in two distinct regions (urban and rural)

What was learned from the study?

The average seroprevalence is 41.5% and 44.2% in urban and rural regions, respectively

The age at midpoint of population immunity (AMPI) is 35 and 37 years for the rural and urban region, respectively

HAV endemicity is low in the Philippines; immunization strategies could be envisaged to protect vulnerable populations against severe HAV disease