TY - JOUR
T1 - Occupations at increased risk of hepatitis A
T2 - A 2-year nationwide historical prospective study
AU - Lerman, Yehuda
AU - Chodik, Gabriel
AU - Aloni, Hava
AU - Ribak, Joseph
AU - Ashkenazi, Shai
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Dr. P. Slater, the director of the epidemiologic department of the Ministry of Health, and the epidemiologic nurses of all of the local health district offices of the Ministry of Health and participating hospitals and laboratories for their invaluable contributions and cooperation during the data-collection stage of this investigation. They thank Dr. Y. Villa for statistical assistance. This research was supported by the Committee for Preventive Action and Research in Occupational Health, The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel.
PY - 1999/8/1
Y1 - 1999/8/1
N2 - The recent licensing of active hepatitis A vaccines raises the question of vaccine candidates. Although various groups of workers are at theoretical occupational risk of hepatitis A infection, no comprehensive quantitative data exist to determine which occupational groups should receive active vaccination. Therefore, the aims of this study were to identify occupations at risk for hepatitis A infection and to determine their relative risk. In this nationwide historical prospective study, the relative risk of hepatitis A among different occupations in Israel was determined according to the incidence of hepatitis A in different occupations during 1993 and 1994 compared with the incidence of hepatitis A in two standard populations. After age, gender, ethnicity, and time of immigration to Israel were controlled for, certain occupations showed a significant increased risk of hepatitis A: yeshiva students (standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 9.98, 99% confidence interval: 7.55, 13.18), day care center and kindergarten staff (SIR = 5.47, 99% confidence interval: 3.50, 8.57), food industry workers (SIR = 5.41, 99% confidence interval: 1.92, 15.25), teachers (SIR = 4.02, 99% confidence interval: 2.92, 5.48), physicians and dentists (SIR = 3.77, 99% confidence interval: 1.78, 8.14), and therapists and medical technicians (SIR = 3.75, 99% confidence interval: 1.75, 8.14). Sewage workers and nurses did not show any significantly increased risk. The results were validated by comparison with an additional standard population. This first nationwide study identified occupations at risk of hepatitis A infection. It emerged that the authors' approach can provide a yardstick for measuring samples in both large and small countries that have a socioeconomic background similar to that of Israel.
AB - The recent licensing of active hepatitis A vaccines raises the question of vaccine candidates. Although various groups of workers are at theoretical occupational risk of hepatitis A infection, no comprehensive quantitative data exist to determine which occupational groups should receive active vaccination. Therefore, the aims of this study were to identify occupations at risk for hepatitis A infection and to determine their relative risk. In this nationwide historical prospective study, the relative risk of hepatitis A among different occupations in Israel was determined according to the incidence of hepatitis A in different occupations during 1993 and 1994 compared with the incidence of hepatitis A in two standard populations. After age, gender, ethnicity, and time of immigration to Israel were controlled for, certain occupations showed a significant increased risk of hepatitis A: yeshiva students (standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 9.98, 99% confidence interval: 7.55, 13.18), day care center and kindergarten staff (SIR = 5.47, 99% confidence interval: 3.50, 8.57), food industry workers (SIR = 5.41, 99% confidence interval: 1.92, 15.25), teachers (SIR = 4.02, 99% confidence interval: 2.92, 5.48), physicians and dentists (SIR = 3.77, 99% confidence interval: 1.78, 8.14), and therapists and medical technicians (SIR = 3.75, 99% confidence interval: 1.75, 8.14). Sewage workers and nurses did not show any significantly increased risk. The results were validated by comparison with an additional standard population. This first nationwide study identified occupations at risk of hepatitis A infection. It emerged that the authors' approach can provide a yardstick for measuring samples in both large and small countries that have a socioeconomic background similar to that of Israel.
KW - Child day care centers
KW - Health personnel
KW - Hepatitis A
KW - Nurses
KW - Occupations
KW - Physicians
KW - Prospective studies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033179424&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a010004
DO - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a010004
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C2 - 10430237
AN - SCOPUS:0033179424
SN - 0002-9262
VL - 150
SP - 312
EP - 320
JO - American Journal of Epidemiology
JF - American Journal of Epidemiology
IS - 3
ER -