Hepatitis B infection in black children from residential care facilities in KwaZulu-Natal. Implications for adoption and foster care

Objectives: A study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B infection in selected residential child care facilities in Natal.
Design: All residents at three facilities in the Durban and Pietermaritzburg areas of KwaZulu-Natal were tested for markers of hepatitis B infection as part of a broader health status assessment.
Results: One hundred and ninety-five children between the ages of 3 and 194 months (78 +/- 47) were studied. Overall 66.2% of children had evidence of past exposure to hepatitis B virus. Of these 14.9% were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, 13.3% for hepatitis B e antigen, 47.7% for hepatitis B surface antibody and 59.5% for hepatitis B core antibody. Relative rates of infection increased with age from 18.2%, 20% and 27.8% in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of life respectively to 72.2% and 88.2% in the 4th and 5th years of life. Relative rates of infection increased with duration of stay from 40% by the end of the 1st year to 100% by the end of the 5th year.
Conclusions: This study has demonstrated a very high rate of infection with hepatitis B virus and a high prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in residential care facilities. It has also shown that the infection is horizontally transmitted within these facilities, that infection increases with duration of stay, that there is a dramatic increase in infection rates after the 3rd year of life, that the highest carrier rates are occurring in children between the ages of 2 and 4 years, and that the vast majority of carriers are highly infectious. These children are not only at risk themselves for the long-term complications of this disease but also constitute an important reservoir of hepatitis B infection within the larger community. There is an urgent need for uniform national guidelines for the screening and management of children in residential care facilities and children being prepared for adoption or foster care. There is also a need for a wider investigation into conditions at residential care facilities previously designated for black children in this country.