Studies on Immunization Coverage Rate of Hepatitis B Vaccine and HBsAg Carrier Rate of Children Below 3 Years Old in Sichuan Province

In order to understand the immunization coverage rate of hepatitis B(HB)vaccine and the HBsAg carrier rate of children below 3 years old in Sichuan Province,a survey was conducted in 2002. Cluster sampling method was used to select 3558 children in 3 layers(city was the first layer,rural area was divided into two layers according to income).Overall,the immunization coverage rate ,the timely vaccination rate of the first dose,the whole course(3 doses)vaccination rate and the timely vaccination rate of the whole course of HB vaccine were 79.90%,55.08%,66.19% and 50.10% respectively.Various layers had different immunization status(P0.01),the children in city showed more higher rates than children in rural area.The timely vaccination rates of the first dose of HB vaccine for children born in hospital and home were 66.67% and 22.01%(χ 2=477.096,P0.001).The HBsAg carrier rate of the children investigated was 3.06%,it reduced by 60.21% when comparing with the population of same age in 1992.The HBsAg carrier rate in city children was much more lower than those in rural area,it was also extremely lower in children immunized than children unimmunized(χ 2=31.997,P0.001).After HB vaccination had been brought into EPI,raising HB vaccine coverage rate and timely vaccination rate of the first dose for newborns in rural area,especially in poor rural area,is the main task in the future in our province.