Immunisation after hepatitis B polyvalent vaccination among children in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo

摘要

Background. The World Health Organization recommends the integration of vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) into the national immunisation programmes of all highly endemic countries. Protective efficacy, defined as a hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) level >= 10 mIU/mL, is ideally obtained in >90 - 95% of immunised children. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) implemented this recommendation in 2007 by introducing administration of hepatitis B vaccine in a combined formulation.