ContextIn Israel, the mean annual incidence of hepatitis A disease was 50.4 per 100 000 during 1993-1998. A 2-dose universal hepatitis A immunization program aimed at children aged 18 and 24 months (without a catch-up campaign) was started in 1999.Objective To observe the impact of toddlers-only universal vaccination on hepatitis A virus disease in Israel. Design and SettingOngoing passive national surveillance of hepatitis A cases in Israel has been conducted since 1993 by the Ministry of Health. An active surveillance program in the Jerusalem district in 1999-2003 provided validation for the passive program. Main Outcome Measure Incidence of reported hepatitis A disease, 1993-2004. ResultsOverall vaccine coverage in Israel in 2001-2002 was 90% for the first dose and 85% for the second dose. A decline in disease rates was observed before 1999 among the Jewish but not the non-Jewish population. After initiation of the program, a sharp decrease in disease rates was observed in both populations. The annual incidence of 2.2 to 2.5 per 100 000 during 2002-2004 represents a 95% or greater reduction for each year with respect to the mean incidence during 1993-1998 (PϽ.001). For children aged 1 through 4 years, a 98.2% reduction in disease was observed in 2002-2004, compared with the prevaccination period (PϽ.001). However, a sharp decline was also observed in all other age groups (84.3% [Ͻ1 year], 96.5% [5-9 years], 95.2% [10-14 years], 91.3% [15-44 years], 90.6% [45-64 years], and 77.3% [Ն65 years]). Among the Jewish population in the Jerusalem district, in whom the active surveillance program was successfully conducted, a more than 90% reduction of disease was demonstrated. Of the 433 cases reported nationwide in 2002-2004 in whom vaccination status could be ascertained, 424 (97.9%) received no vaccine and none received 2 doses. ConclusionThis universal toddlers-only immunization program in Israel demonstrated not only high effectiveness of hepatitis A vaccination but also marked herd protection, challenging the need for catch-up hepatitis A vaccination programs.

Recent research within the psychology of religion and empirical theology has drawn attention to the theoretical and practical power of psychological type theory to illuminate and to facilitate the practice of Christian ministry. Building on this tradition, in the present study the psychological type preferences of 626 male Anglican clergy and 247 female Anglican clergy in England were assessed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The purpose was to profile the personal and professional qualities of those engaged in Christian ministry within this specific context. Both male and female clergy revealed preferences for introversion over extraversion, intuition over sensing, feeling over thinking, and judging over perceiving. Points of similarity and difference between the current sample and the wider United Kingdom population are explored, as well as with Anglican congregations and other clergy in the United Kingdom. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of interpreting diversity, strengths, and potential weaknesses in ministry. The findings are valuable for practical theology in informing practices of selecting, training, deploying and supporting clergy. Questions can also be posed for theological construction, but that work is of another genre and will be done in future deliberations.

Summary. Information on the birthweight and gestational age of previous siblings is usually dependent upon maternal recall. This information is of importance in assessing the current risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The validity of maternal recall of birthweight and gestational age of 880 children born to 97 multiparas was examined by comparison with hospital records. About 75% of all reported birthweights were accurate to within 100 g and a similar proportion of reported gestational ages was correct to within 1 week. Recall was most accurate for most recent births as well as for earliest births and was not related to maternal age or education. There was a tendency for the smallness of low birthweight infants to be exaggerated by mothers. We conclude that within defined limitations, maternal recall of birthweight and gestational age of previous children is sufficiently accurate for clinical and even for epidemiological use.

SUMMARYThe validity of mothers' reporting of the breast feeding history of their children more than 20 years after their birth was studied in a Jerusalem population. Among 74 study subjects, duration of breast feeding as ascertained from an interview was well correlated with that recorded in mother and child health clinic charts.

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