Hepatitis B virus transmission in nursery schools.

To determine whether transmission of hepatitis B virus occurs among children in nursery schools, from 1979 to 1982, 269 children (mean age 2.9 +/- 1.4 years) attending five nursery schools in which there were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier children were tested for hepatitis B markers. Fifteen children (5.6%) were positive for HBsAg. Ten were possibly infected with hepatitis B in nursery school by HBsAg carrier children with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). Four became HBsAg carriers and six developed transient antigenemia. Three other children were positive for the immunoglobulin M class of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen but negative for HBsAg. It is possible that they too were infected with hepatitis B in schools. These observations indicate that hepatitis B transmission most probably occurs among children in nursery schools in which there are HBsAg carriers with HBeAg, and therefore vaccination of susceptible children is necessary.