Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016
From September 2015 to March 2016, hepatitis A notifications in Germany increased by 45% to 699 cases compared to 482 cases in the same period of the previous year. Children aged five to nine years were predominantly affected (22% of all cases in this period). We hypothesized that this increase coul...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Emerging Microbes and Infections |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1038/emi.2017.11 |
| _version_ | 1797676928583335936 |
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| author | Kai Michaelis Jürgen J Wenzel Klaus Stark Mirko Faber |
| author_facet | Kai Michaelis Jürgen J Wenzel Klaus Stark Mirko Faber |
| author_sort | Kai Michaelis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From September 2015 to March 2016, hepatitis A notifications in Germany increased by 45% to 699 cases compared to 482 cases in the same period of the previous year. Children aged five to nine years were predominantly affected (22% of all cases in this period). We hypothesized that this increase could be explained by the marked influx of asylum seekers in this time period. We analysed national surveillance data and estimated the number of imported and autochthonous hepatitis A cases in asylum seekers. We also investigated molecular signatures of hepatitis A viruses sampled from asylum seekers to identify chains of transmission. We found that 40% (278 cases) of all 699 hepatitis A cases notified between September 2015 and March 2016 in Germany concerned asylum seekers. Most infections were acquired abroad, but at least 24% accounted for autochthonous infections. Among asylum seekers, children aged five to nine years were overrepresented with 97 of 278 (35%) notified cases. The analysed hepatitis A virus sequences were primarily subgenotype IB strains and clustered with previously isolated samples from the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan and East Africa. Except one transmission from an asymptomatic child to a nursery nurse working in a mass accommodation, we are not aware of infection chains involving asylum seekers and German residents. We conclude that asylum-seeking children and adolescents are susceptible to hepatitis A virus infections, particularly children aged five to nine years. Measures to prevent secondary infections in asylum seekers such as extended hygiene measures and post-exposure prophylaxis seem advisable.Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e26; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.11; published online 26 April 2017 |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:37:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07b0e44b55db4c1d98f96f60a216f1a5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2222-1751 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:37:31Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Emerging Microbes and Infections |
| spelling | doaj.art-07b0e44b55db4c1d98f96f60a216f1a52023-09-22T12:08:35ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEmerging Microbes and Infections2222-17512017-01-01611810.1038/emi.2017.11Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016Kai Michaelis0Jürgen J Wenzel1Klaus Stark2Mirko Faber3Division of Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Department for Infectious Disease EpidemiologyRobert Koch Institute (RKI), D-13353 Berlin, GermanyNational Consultant Laboratory for HAV and HEV, Institute of Clinical Microbiology and HygieneUniversity Medical Centre Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, GermanyDivision of Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Department for Infectious Disease EpidemiologyRobert Koch Institute (RKI), D-13353 Berlin, GermanyDivision of Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Department for Infectious Disease EpidemiologyRobert Koch Institute (RKI), D-13353 Berlin, GermanyFrom September 2015 to March 2016, hepatitis A notifications in Germany increased by 45% to 699 cases compared to 482 cases in the same period of the previous year. Children aged five to nine years were predominantly affected (22% of all cases in this period). We hypothesized that this increase could be explained by the marked influx of asylum seekers in this time period. We analysed national surveillance data and estimated the number of imported and autochthonous hepatitis A cases in asylum seekers. We also investigated molecular signatures of hepatitis A viruses sampled from asylum seekers to identify chains of transmission. We found that 40% (278 cases) of all 699 hepatitis A cases notified between September 2015 and March 2016 in Germany concerned asylum seekers. Most infections were acquired abroad, but at least 24% accounted for autochthonous infections. Among asylum seekers, children aged five to nine years were overrepresented with 97 of 278 (35%) notified cases. The analysed hepatitis A virus sequences were primarily subgenotype IB strains and clustered with previously isolated samples from the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan and East Africa. Except one transmission from an asymptomatic child to a nursery nurse working in a mass accommodation, we are not aware of infection chains involving asylum seekers and German residents. We conclude that asylum-seeking children and adolescents are susceptible to hepatitis A virus infections, particularly children aged five to nine years. Measures to prevent secondary infections in asylum seekers such as extended hygiene measures and post-exposure prophylaxis seem advisable.Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e26; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.11; published online 26 April 2017https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1038/emi.2017.11asylum seekerepidemiologyhepatitis Ahepatitis A virusmigrationrefugee |
| spellingShingle | Kai Michaelis Jürgen J Wenzel Klaus Stark Mirko Faber Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 Emerging Microbes and Infections asylum seeker epidemiology hepatitis A hepatitis A virus migration refugee |
| title | Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 |
| title_full | Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 |
| title_fullStr | Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 |
| title_short | Hepatitis A virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to Germany, September 2015 to March 2016 |
| title_sort | hepatitis a virus infections and outbreaks in asylum seekers arriving to germany september 2015 to march 2016 |
| topic | asylum seeker epidemiology hepatitis A hepatitis A virus migration refugee |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1038/emi.2017.11 |
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