Epidemiology of hepatitis A in children in Sweden 1979-1983.

The incidence and transmission of hepatitis A in the Swedish child population was investigated for the period 1979-83. 47% (152/323) of the hepatitis A cases in children reported in Sweden 1979-83 occurred in children born to parents of foreign extraction. The annual incidence in Swedish children was extremely low (2/100,000) during this period, whereas the incidence was between 103 and 20 in children born to immigrants of Turkish, Yugoslavian, Asian or African extraction. A known transmission of hepatitis A to Swedish children occurred mainly from 3 sources; in 60 cases (35%) by exposure within the families; in 18 of these cases a family member had been abroad, visiting a country where hepatitis A is endemic; in 34 cases (20%) by exposure in a pre-school setting; and in 29 cases (17%) by exposure when travelling abroad. In 48 cases (28%) the exposure was unknown.