Are there missed opportunities for vaccinating against hepatitis B among people who inject drugs in the UK?

Abstract

Sustaining the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination on incidence and prevalence of HBV infection requires increasing and maintaining the uptake of vaccine among those at risk. In recent years, the level of vaccine uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the UK has levelled-off. Data (2015–2016) from the national unlinked-anonymous monitoring survey of PWID, an annual survey that collects data from PWID across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, were used to examine HBV vaccine uptake. Data from participants who had injected drugs during the previous year were used to investigate sources of hepatitis B vaccine doses as well as factors associated with vaccine uptake. Among the 3175 anti-HBc-negative participants, 3138 (99%) reported their vaccination status; 23% (714) reported no vaccine uptake. Among those not vaccinated, 447 (63%) reported being sexually active and 116 (16%) reported sharing needles and syringes. Majority of those not vaccinated reported accessing services in the previous year that could have provided hepatitis B vaccine doses. These missed opportunities for vaccinating of PWID indicate a need for additional targeted interventions.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Hepatitis B Vaccination among the Adult Population in Indonesia: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Our study also found that hepatitis B vaccination is associated with exposure to accurate information related to hepatitis B infection, and the benefits of vaccination as one of the most effective preventive methods. Although information about hepatitis B and vaccination is available through the media, such as television, scientific magazines, and the internet [ 43 ], Njoroge et al found that direct information from health providers was most closely associated with being vaccinated for hepatitis B [ 44 ]. However, some studies found that knowledge of hepatitis B and vaccination among health care workers is low [ 28 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage in Germany: Systematic Review

“…groups of people with a certain migrational background) cannot be derived from these samples. Many of the studies obtained data on vaccination status from self-reports, which have low validity and lead to an overestimation of VC (86,(89)(90)(91). Also, results obtained from serology without further information on past immunisation only provide information on a current titre.…”