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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Robert Heimer, Ph D¹, Lauretta E. Grau, Ph D¹, Greg Scott, Ph D², Merrill Singer, Ph D³, Patricia A. Marshall, Ph D⁴, and Karen H. Seal, M D, M P H⁵. (1) Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, PO Box 208034, 60 College St., New Haven, CT 06520, 203-785-6732, robert.heimer@yale.edu, (2) Sociology Department, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton Ave., Rm. 1118, Chicago, IL 60614, (3) Hispanic Health Council, 175 Main St., Hartford, CT 06106, (4) Center for Biomedical Ethics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106-4976, (5) Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco VA Medical Center, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94121

Aim: The primary aim of the study was to determine whether the standard or the accelerated vaccination schedule protected a larger percentage of the vaccines randomized to each arm of the study.

Methods: The success of each arm is calculated by multiplying the percentage of people completing each schedule (the vaccination rate) by the percentage of those completing the arm who achieved levels of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen indicative of protective immunity (the immunization rate).

Results: The two arms had identical rate of reaching protective immunity (75%). Participants in the accelerated arm were significantly more likely to complete the three-dose vaccination (p < 0.05); 49% of participants in the traditional arm completed all three doses as compared to 63% in the accelerated arm.

Conclusions: The accelerated arm proved significantly superior and should be used to in any vaccination program targeting high-risk hard-to-reach populations. More work needs to be done to improve the rate of achieving protective immunity from the 75% found in this study to reach those usually achieved when vaccinating healthy young adults.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants at this presentation will learn the optimal way to schedule the dosing for vaccination against hepatitis B when seeking to immunize hihg-risk, hard-to-reach populations. We will define the method to measure successful immunization of the study population and present the primary outcome of the study. Limitations of the present study and the need for further research to maximize immunization will be articulated.

Keywords: Hepatitis B, Injection Drug Users

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation