|
OCTOBER 6, 2023
Increasing The Number of People Protected Against HBV
By Cheryl Alkon
With the April 2022 recommendation that all U.S. adults between the ages of 19 and 59 years be vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV), the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) hopes to significantly increase the number of people who are protected against this disease.
Hepatitis B, a liver disease contracted through exposure to HBV found in bodily fluids, is considered vaccine-preventable, but hepatitis B (HepB) vaccination rates historically have been low. Previously, HepB vaccines were only recommended to people considered at high risk for contracting the disease. Since the previous recommendations relied on patients disclosing risky behaviors as a prerequisite for vaccination, the ACIP thought a universal recommendation would increase vaccination rates.
Who Is Most Affected by HBV?
Among adults in the United States, “the main risk factors for acquiring infection include IV drug use (sharing equipment) or male-to-male sexual contact in those who do not have protection from the vaccine,” said Kristen Marks, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and the co-director of the Cornell HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, in New York City. “We have done well in the U.S. in preventing mother-to-child transmission.”
Continue reading... https://www.idse.net/Hepatitis/Article/10-23/Increasing-The-Number-of-People-Protected-Against-HBV/71640
"Reproduced with permission - Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE)"
Infectious Disease Special Edition (IDSE)
For more HIV and AIDS News visit...
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News |
