Effectiveness of the South African expanded program of immunization against hepatitis B in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 living in a resource-limited setting of Kwazulu-Natal.

Prevalence of Human-Immunodeficiency-Virus/Hepatitis-B-virus (HIV/HBV) coinfection and HBV vaccination response in children are unknown in Kwazulu-Natal. This study included 183 HIV-infected and 108 HIV-uninfected children aged between 5 and 15 years screened for HBV infection and vaccination. HBV infection occurred in 2.1% and 0% of HIV-infected and uninfected children respectively. Serological response to immunization was shown in 15.8% and 61.1% of HIV-infected and uninfected children, respectively (P < 0.001). Even if prevalence of HBV infection was low in these cohorts, HIV-infected children will stay at risk of infection if the vaccine schedule is not adapted. J. Med. Virol. 89:182-185, 2017.