Conclusion. We recommend extending serologic confirmation of immigrants’ hepatitis A immunity. If time is lacking, vaccination should

be considered. Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended to people traveling to countries where the disease is endemic. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is transmitted by fecal–oral way. In most developing countries, hepatitis A antibodies appear early in life and remain detectable in adulthood. However, several reports have documented changing trends of hepatitis A epidemiology in previously highly endemic countries.1–13 Improvements in socioeconomic status and vaccination lead to continued decrease in HAV incidence, especially in the younger age groups. Immigrants originating from BKM120 clinical trial endemic countries and living in Europe may not be immunized against hepatitis A. Nonimmune, unprotected travelers are at risk of acquiring IDH assay hepatitis A when returning to their country of origin. Prior to vaccination we propose hepatitis A serology to individuals who have lived at least 1 year in a country at risk. The purpose of this study

was to assess hepatitis A seroprevalence in a population of travelers who had previously lived in a highly endemic country. We conducted a retrospective study of vaccination records at the International Vaccination Center of the Parisian Institut Pasteur between September 1, 2008, and February 28, 2010. At the vaccination center we use a standard questionnaire designed for all travelers, in which date and country of birth, sex, the period spent at a country at risk, the reason of the journey, medical history, and vaccination status are recorded. Before a journey to endemic areas, hepatitis A serology is recommended to people who have lived in a country at risk. We contact patients whose test is negative and recommend Fludarabine cost vaccination. In our study, we included records of people who lived at least 1 year in a country at risk. We excluded cases where the name of the country of risk was missing as well as people who had received hepatitis A vaccine at any time prior

to serology. Serology was considered positive if total or immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were present. Data were analyzed by chi-square test and Fisher exact test for categorical variables, and t-test for continuous variables. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. During the 18-month study period we included the charts of 989 subjects, to whom we had prescribed hepatitis A serology according to the above criteria. A total of 788 subjects traveled for vacation or business and 201 did humanitarian work. Test results were available for 646 of them. Hepatitis A serology was positive in 532 and negative in 114 subjects. Overall seroprevalence was 82.4%. Mean age of the 646 subjects was 37.2 years and age range from 6 to 86 years. Sex ratio male/female was 0.99, 1.07 for hepatitis A positive group and 0.