[Epidemiology of imported cases of hepatitis A in Spain, 2015-2023].

Objective

To describe the epidemiological characteristics of imported hepatitis A cases reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) in Spain from 2015 to 2023.

Method

A descriptive analysis was conducted of case characteristics, including sex, age and country of travel. The study period was divided into three groups to assess the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: 2015-2019, 2020-2021 and 2022-2023.

Results

A total of 975 imported hepatitis A cases were reported. Fifty-eight percent of cases were male and the median age was 12 years. The median duration of travel was 38 days. The main regions visited were North Africa and the Middle East (557 cases), followed by Central/South America (150 cases). From 2020 to 2023, cases were older and had shorter travel durations, and there was a decrease in the proportion of cases who had travelled to North Africa and the Middle East. From 2017 to 2019, a marked increase in the number of cases was observed during September and October, with a loss of this seasonal pattern in 2020 and partial recovery in 2021-2023.

Conclusions

The results suggest that a substantial proportion of imported cases were children who had travelled to countries in North Africa during the summer months. This finding highlights the need to increase public awareness of the risks associated with this type of travel and to promote pre-travel vaccination.