HEPeCONTROL - Hepatitis E Virus Epidemiology, Safety and Control
Message from the Coordinator
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is nowadays considered an emerging agent in industrialized countries with an established zoonotic transmission through swine. In Portugal few data on HEV are available and no large-scale HEV seroprevalence study has ever been done. In addition, no risk groups have been identified and the risk of blood donations from infected donors is unknown. The Portuguese National Vaccination Programme (PNV) exist since 1965 and is universal and freely accessible to everyone which has led to one of the highest vaccine coverages in Europe. To help maintain the leading position in vaccine preventable diseases, this project will generate data needed for the decision on the introduction of a HEV vaccine already available.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is nowadays considered an emerging agent in industrialized countries with an established zoonotic transmission through swine. In Portugal few data on HEV are available and no large-scale HEV seroprevalence study has ever been done. In addition, no risk groups have been identified and the risk of blood donations from infected donors is unknown. The Portuguese National Vaccination Programme (PNV) exist since 1965 and is universal and freely accessible to everyone which has led to one of the highest vaccine coverages in Europe. To help maintain the leading position in vaccine preventable diseases, this project will generate data needed for the decision on the introduction of a HEV vaccine already available.
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Maria São José Garcia Alexandre, PhD Professor, Head of the Microbiology Laboratory Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto |
The EEA Grants support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
