title: Sudden rise in uptake of hepatitis B vaccination among injecting drug users associated with a universal vaccine programme in prisons.
abstract: Hitherto, services have failed to deliver the UK Government's 1988 recommendation to vaccinate injecting drug users (IDUs) against hepatitis B virus (HBV). In April 1999, the Scottish Prison Service implemented an initiative to offer HBV vaccination to all inmates; we sought to determine the impact of this initiative on the IDU population. Among community-recruited IDUs (who had injected for < or =5 years) in Glasgow, vaccine uptake was significantly higher among those surveyed in 2001-2002 (52% of 387) than in 1993 (16% of 166), 1994 (19% of 138) or January-March 1999 (15% of 128); of the 2001-2002 vaccinees, 56% had been vaccinated in prison. Our results indicate that the universal offer of vaccination to all prisoners, within two years of the initiative's implementation, has had a dramatic impact on uptake among IDUs.
authors.affiliation: Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, Clifton House, Clifton Place, Glasgow G3 7LN, UK. sharon.hutchinson@scieh.csa.scot.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Sharon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wadd
authors.forename: Avril
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines