Hepatitis A: post-exposure prophylaxis

We report on the findings of an exploratory review of evidence published in English from 1945 to identify the best post-exposure prophylaxis treatment and the longest acceptable interval after exposure for prophylaxis to be effective. We found no evidence that post-exposure administration of currently available immunoglobulins is effective in preventing hepatitis A infection and disease. The use of immunoglobulins for immunoprophylaxis should not be widely recommended until a systematic review of the evidence has been conducted. We recommend that active immunization to secondary contacts of exposed and vaccinated subjects be offered. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.