Focus on Hepatitis
Hepatitis B
The British Liver Trust is calling for a move to a national universal immunisation programme for hepatitis B after a survey revealed that the vaccine was not being offered to patients because of perceived low risk, time and budget constraints and patients’ unwillingness to pay. A quarter of those questioned relied on patients to admit high risk behaviour before offering vaccination and one in 10 did not see any benefit to vaccinating injecting drug users. Only half of GP surgeries were following the Green Book guidelines for hepatitis B vaccination. The survey also revealed inconsistencies in charges.
Falling behind
The British Liver Trust: “As Ireland begins universal vaccination, the UK’s children remain unprotected against the hepatitis B virus. Almost all European nations vaccinate their children and the protection of UK children is falling behind the rest of Europe.” Visit the British Liver Trust website to view the full article.
Call for mass vaccination
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has called for all children to be vaccinated against hepatitis B to prevent the spread of strains of the disease which are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment. The report, Target hepatitis states that the disease can be prevented through widespread vaccination, but currently no mass vaccination programmes exist in the UK.
Hepatitis Bus Stop
The North Central London Viral Hepatitis Network marked Hepatitis Awareness month by making health professionals available onboard a bus which toured the northern suburbs to provide advice and information, encouraging at-risk groups to seek tests in particular for hepatitis B and C.