18.may.07
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
Misti Crane
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/18/HEPATITIS.ART_ART_05-18-07_A1_U36OL7H.html
Vaccines against hepatitis A and rotavirus are now included in a list of recommended vaccines that protect against 16 illnesses by the age of 18.
Public health officials herald the development of new vaccines as a way to minimize suffering and sometimes death, and to lower health-care costs associated with the illnesses.
Depending on who your baby's doctor is, though, the newest vaccines might not be strongly recommended. It typically takes a while for new vaccines to become widely accepted.
Hepatitis A comes from poor hygiene; it is most commonly transmitted when someone ingests something contaminated by the feces of an infected person or when well water or swimming pools are contaminated.
Last year, hundreds of Kent State University students were vaccinated after a student who worked in food services was diagnosed with the disease.
At its worst, hepatitis A can shut down the liver. The disease is more prominent in communities with higher immigration rates, including Southwest border states.
With the number of incidents increasing nationwide, routine vaccination makes sense, said Debbie Coleman, Columbus' assistant health commissioner.