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January 17, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"All Children May Be Given Hepatitis B Vaccination"

London Times (www.thetimes.co.uk) (01/16/03) P. 1; Browne, Anthony

Following a significant increase in cases in recent years, leading liver doctors in Great Britain are urging the government to deploy a national hepatitis B vaccination campaign targeting all teenagers.  Hepatitis B, which can lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis, is incurable and kills nearly 1 million people around the world every year.   The physicians are recommending a vaccination program in reaction to a Public Health Laboratory Service report which estimated that over 6,000 people infected with hepatitis B have entered Britain during each of the last four years. Currently, only infants of infected mothers and some drug addicts are vaccinated against hepatitis B, but a government committee is considering expanding that effort to include all children or children in cities with large immigrant populations.  Hepatitis B is easily spread through sex, dirty needles, or via mother-to-child, and while about one-third of those who become infected show no outward symptoms, up to one-quarter with chronic hepatitis B infection will develop fatal conditions.

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