Reported cases of Hepatitis B among children and adolescents fell steadily from 1990 to 2002, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation in 1991 that all children be vaccinated against the disease. According to the Nov. 5 CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the rate of Hepatitis B dropped by 89% between 1990 and 2002 among children under 20 - from 3.03 to 0.34 cases per 100,000 population. The decrease was most dramatic among children born after the 1991 universal vaccination recommendation; however, a sharp decline also was seen among children born before then, most likely due to laws in most states requiring proof of Hepatitis B vaccination before entry into middle school, the CDC said. Though the incidence of Hepatitis B remained higher among African American and Asian/Pacific Islander children than among white children in 2002, the gap narrowed between 1990 and 2002. The CDC said its findings underscore the importance of "timely completion of the 3-dose vaccination series," which it says should be started before newborn is discharged from the hospital. The agency also called for continued efforts to improve surveillance data. The MMWR is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.