Sudden rise in uptake of hepatitis B vaccination among injecting drug users associated with a universal vaccine programme in prisons.
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.
Hutchinson
Sharon J
SJ
Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, Clifton House, Clifton Place, Glasgow G3 7LN, UK. sharon.hutchinson@scieh.csa.scot.nhs.uk
Wadd
Sarah
S
Taylor
Avril
A
Bird
Sheila M
SM
Mitchell
Alan
A
Morrison
David S
DS
Ahmed
Syed
S
Goldberg
David J
DJ
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
D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines