Please note: This publication was rescinded on 24 March 2005
Synopsis
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released its recommendations on hepatitis B immunisation. The report of the Hepatitis B Working Party outlines the evidence considered and the reasoning supporting the report's recommendations.
The recommendations include:
- the introduction of universal hepatitis B immunisation of both infants and pre-adolescents in Australia, in addition to improved implementation of selective hepatitis B immunisation policies;
- monitoring of antenatal hepatitis B screening programs;
- expansion of the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to include all hepatitis B immunisation of children less than 6 years of age;
- evaluation of the effectiveness of universal infant hepatitis B immunisation in reaching high risk infants;
- monitoring of evidence on duration of hepatitis B immunity to determine whether there is a need for booster doses in adolescence; and
- consideration of surveillance of vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy.
Hepatitis B infection is transmitted byexposure to infective body fluids such as blood, saliva, semen and vaginal fluid. It is most commonly acquired from an infected sexual partner, from shared injection equipment, from an infected mother to child at or around the time of birth, or from close personal contact with a carrier living in the same household.
A proportion of those infected go on to become hepatitis B carriers and are a potential source of infection to others and may develop cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.
The purpose of hepatitis B immunisation policies are to either eliminate hepatitis B infection or reduce the transmission of the virus and thereby reduce infection, the development of the hepatitis B carrier state and the development of long-term sequelae. In making these recommendations, the NHMRC is supporting the 1991 World Health Organization's resolution to eliminate hepatitis B infection.
