title: Establishing a viral hepatitis prevention and control program: Florida's experience.
abstract: In 1999, the Florida State Legislature established and funded the statewide Hepatitis Prevention Program (HPP) to address growing concern about hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its potential public health burden. HPP supports county health departments' (CHDs') provision of viral hepatitis prevention services to at-risk adults through free hepatitis A and B vaccine in most CHDs and hepatitis serologic testing and statewide viral hepatitis-related education, consultation, and referral services. Some CHDs are directly funded by HPP. In 2001-2005, HPP support helped CHDs provide 59,228 hepatitis A and 74,039 hepatitis B vaccinations statewide. In 2005, HPP supported almost 17,000 hepatitis B and C tests. From January to June 2005, 1,603 positive HCV tests were reported, a 9.5% seropositivity rate. With $24 million from the Florida State Legislature through 2006, HPP has helped CHDs statewide provide substantial viral hepatitis prevention services to at-risk adults.
authors.affiliation: Florida Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis Prevention Program, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Baldy
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urbas
authors.forename: Jennie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: T Stephen
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Reichert
mesh_terms: D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D015995:Prevalence; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration
chemical_list: D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines