Issue Number
247 May 21, 2001
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC publishes article on hepatitis B vaccination for
injection drug users
- CDC reports on syringe exchange programs in the United
States
- May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month
- IAC'S hepatitis prevention programs website expands
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(1)
May 21, 2001
CDC PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON HEPATITIS B VACCINATION FOR INJECTION DRUG USERS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published the article "Hepatitis B Vaccination for Injection
Drug Users--Pierce County, Washington, 2000" in the May 18, 2001, issue of "Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report" (MMWR), an issue that focuses on public health and injection drug use.
This article reports on an outbreak of hepatitis B among injection drug users
(IDUs) in Pierce County, Washington, in April 2000, and describes the successful implementation of a
hepatitis B vaccination program for people at high risk for hepatitis B.
The Editorial Note states:
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This report describes the successful implementation of a hepatitis B vaccination program for IDUs and other high-risk
persons that involved public health departments and community-based organizations and provided
hepatitis B vaccine to approximately 1900 persons. Assuming that half of the
estimated 6000 IDUs residing in Pierce County are susceptible to HBV infection, at least 20% of this
population received one or more doses of vaccine during the first 8 months of the program. . . .
Relatively high vaccination coverage levels can be achieved among IDUs participating in harm reduction services such as
syringe exchange programs. For example, pneumococcal and influenza vaccination was accepted by 86%
of IDUs at a syringe exchange program in New York City. Offering hepatitis B
vaccine at nontraditional sites such as syringe exchange programs and jails and providing modest monetary
incentives can increase hepatitis B vaccination coverage among IDUs. Although the outbreak may have
increased concern among IDUs about the risks for HBV infection, approximately
75% of IDUs who attended the vaccination clinics reported reasons other than awareness of the outbreak as their
motivation for getting vaccinated. This finding suggests that hepatitis B vaccination for IDUs also
could be successfully incorporated into syringe exchange programs in nonoutbreak settings. . . .
This report illustrates how hepatitis B vaccination programs targeted at IDUs
can be implemented through collaborations between departments of health and corrections and community
organizations and demonstrates the feasibility of vaccinating IDUs in various community settings. National
programs to provide hepatitis B vaccine to high-risk persons are needed to apply these
findings widely.
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To obtain the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5019a5.htm
To obtain the complete issue of this MMWR issue on public health and injection drug use, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5019.pdf
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the information following story three below.
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(2)
May 21, 2001
CDC REPORTS ON SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES
CDC published "Update: Syringe Exchange Programs--United States, 1998" in the May 18, 2001, issue of MMWR. The
article reports on a survey of 131 syringe exchange programs. The findings indicated growth in the number of
cities with syringe exchange programs (SEPs) as well as in the number of programs that provide prevention services for
injection drug users. According to the article's Editorial Note: "Many SEPs, particularly the largest programs,
serve as community-based HIV prevention and health promotion centers for IDUs, including IDUs at high risk for bloodborne
infections. SEPs also provide additional services (e.g., influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations). Hepatitis
B vaccination at a SEP was an important part of the public health response to
a hepatitis B outbreak among IDUs in Pierce County, Washington."
To read the full text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5019a5.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the information following story three below.
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(3)
May 21, 2001
MAY IS NATIONAL HEPATITIS AWARENESS MONTH
CDC published "Notice to Readers: National Hepatitis Awareness Month--May 2001" in the May 18, 2001, issue of
MMWR.
The full text of the notice is reprinted in full below:
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May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most common types of viral hepatitis in the
United States. Hepatitis A, a disease transmitted through the fecal-oral route, occurs in epidemics both
nationwide and in communities. Children are often the reservoir for infection,
and during epidemic years, the number of reported cases has reached 35,000. Hepatitis A vaccine is the best
protection against hepatitis A virus infection. During the late 1990s, when hepatitis A vaccine became more
widely used, the number of cases reached historic lows.
Hepatitis B and C are both bloodborne diseases transmitted when blood or body fluids from an infected person enter the
body of a susceptible person. Both hepatitis B and C can cause chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis
and hepatocellular carcinoma. The number of new hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections per year has declined from
approximately 450,000 during the 1980s to approximately 80,000 in 1998. Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection
against infection with HBV. The greatest decline in HBV infections has occurred among children and adolescents as
the result of routine hepatitis B vaccination. The number of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections per year
declined from approximately 240,000 during the 1980s to approximately 40,000 in 1998. No vaccine exists to prevent HCV infection.
The infection is transmitted most often by injection drug use. Transfusion-associated cases
occurred before blood donor screening, but currently HCV infection occurs in
less than one per million transfused units of blood. Additional information about hepatitis A, B, and C is available from
the CDC hepatitis hotline, telephone (888) 443-7232 or from CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis at:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis
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To read the full text of this notice online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5019a6.htm
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report" (MMWR), visit CDC's MMWR website at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Select "Free MMWR Subscription" from the menu at the left of the screen. Once
you have submitted the required information, weekly issues of the MMWR and all new ACIP statements (published as MMWR's
"Recommendations and Reports") will arrive automatically by e-mail.
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(4)
May 21, 2001
IAC'S HEPATITIS PREVENTION PROGRAMS WEBSITE EXPANDS
Hepatitis Prevention Programs--http://www.hepprograms.org--is a website
of the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) that showcases programs to prevent hepatitis A, B, and C in
communities at risk. Recent updates to the site include new information on hepatitis prevention programs in Florida,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Montana. To explore information on these programs, visit the following links:
Florida Department of Health:
http://www.hepprograms.org/drug/drug4.asp
Massachusetts Department of Public Health:
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std7.asp
Minnesota Department of Health:
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std5.asp
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std6.asp
http://www.hepprograms.org/family/family3.asp
http://www.hepprograms.org/juven/juven5.asp
http://www.hepprograms.org/adult/adult4.asp
http://www.hepprograms.org/other/other2.asp
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services:
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std4.asp
Visit IAC's Hepatitis Prevention Programs website at http://www.hepprograms.org
to explore what 41 featured programs are doing to prevent viral hepatitis. Click on the
"Tell us about your program" link on the left-hand navigation bar to provide information about your innovative
hepatitis prevention program!
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