Hepatitis B virus exposure and vaccination in a cohort of people who inject drugs: What has been the impact of targeted free vaccination?
Corresponding Author
Rebecca J Winter
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence
Ms Rebecca Winter, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute, GPO Box 2284, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorPaul M Dietze
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMaelenn Gouillou
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMargaret E Hellard
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPriscilla Robinson
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCampbell K Aitken
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rebecca J Winter
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence
Ms Rebecca Winter, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute, GPO Box 2284, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorPaul M Dietze
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMaelenn Gouillou
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMargaret E Hellard
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPriscilla Robinson
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCampbell K Aitken
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Background and Aim
Forty percent of new hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in Australia occur in people who inject drugs (PWID); long-term infection carries the risk of serious liver disease. HBV incidence among Australian PWID has not been measured since the advent of targeted (2001) and adolescent school-based “catch-up” (1998) vaccination programs. We measured HBV incidence and prevalence in a cohort of PWID in Melbourne, Australia and examined demographic and behavioral correlates of exposure and vaccination.
Methods
Community-recruited PWID were surveyed about blood-borne virus risk behaviors and their sera tested for HBV markers approximately three-monthly over three years. Incidence was assessed using prospectively collected data. A cross-sectional design was used to examine prevalence of HBV exposure and vaccination at baseline. Poisson regression was used to identify correlates of HBV exposure and vaccination.
Results
At baseline, 33.1% of participants (114/344) had been vaccinated against HBV, 40.4% (139/344) had been exposed (previously or currently infected), and 26.5% (91/344) were susceptible. HBV incidence was 15.7 per 100 person-years. Independent associations with HBV exposure included female gender, South-East Asian ethnicity, drug treatment in the past three months, injecting in prison, and prior exposure to hepatitis C virus. Independent associations with vaccination included being ≤ 25 years old, reporting HBV vaccination, and never having been to prison.
Conclusions
HBV infection continues at high incidence among Australian PWID despite the introduction of free vaccination programs. Innovative methods are needed to encourage PWID to complete HBV vaccination.
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