title: [Vaccination against hepatitis B. Impact of vaccination programmes after 20 years of use in Spain. Is it time for a change?].
abstract: The highest incidence rate of hepatitis B (HB) in Spain is detected in adults between 20 and 54 years old, whereas the incidence in children under 1 year old is almost nil. The low prevalence of HB in children under 1 year is mainly due to the success of gestational screening strategies for the detection of HBsAg(+) in pregnant women, and vaccination campaigns during childhood. Currently, in Spain, the last dose of the HB included in the national childhood immunization program is administered at 6 months of age, although some studies show that delaying the age of the administration of the last dose of HB vaccine and increasing the time between doses, may improve immune memory by offering greater protection against this virus in the adulthood. In this article, the impact of HB vaccination in Spain is reviewed, and other potential vaccination strategies in our environment are discussed, such as extending the interval between doses, and administering the last dose in the second year of life, adapting the valid strategy in Spain to the current epidemiological context in order to reduce the prevalence of HB in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario Basurto. Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, España. Electronic address: javier.aristeguifernandez@osakidetza.net.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arístegui Fernández
authors.affiliation: Director Científico de FISABIO-Salud Pública, Conselleria de Sanitat de Valencia, Valencia, España.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Díez-Domingo
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pediátrico Marès-Riera, Blanes, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marés Bermúdez
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, España.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martinón Torres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
keywords: Epidemiología de la hepatitis B; Estrategia de vacunación; Hepatitis B epidemiology; Immune memory; Memoria inmunológica; Vaccination strategy