Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies in Italy.

Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies among 5005 naval recruits aged 18-26 from all parts of Italy was almost double in the south and islands (83.3%) as compared to the north and central regions (45.2%). Social-demographic variables such as education and number of siblings are associated with prevalence of anti-HAV. Hepatitis A infection is still an early acquired infection in Italy, particularly in the south where among the 18-26-year-old recruits with education limited to lower middle school or less and eight siblings or more, prevalence of anti-HAV was 95%. Good correlation exists in Italy between prevalence of anti-HAV and incidence of reported cases of hepatitis.