Clinical–liver, pancreas, and biliary tractTwo Decades of Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination in Taiwan: Impact and Implication for Future Strategies
Section snippets
Vaccination Program
The HBV universal vaccination program was launched in Taiwan on July 1, 1984.8 The vaccination covered newborns of HBsAg-carrier mothers from July 1984 to June 1986; the program was extended to all newborns since July 1986 and extended again to preschool children from July 1987 to June 1988. It was further extended to cover school children, teenagers, and then adults from 1988 to 1990.
Since 1991, the vaccination records of first-grade school children have been checked, and those children who
Vaccine Coverage
The vaccination coverage rate was high in the population of subjects in this study. Infants (<1 year of age) had a high incomplete vaccination rate because 45% (50/110) were too young to complete the schedule. The incomplete vaccination rate (defined as the percentage of persons who received <3 doses of hepatitis B vaccines divided by the number of persons with clear vaccine histories) was approximately 5% except for toddlers (1–2 years of age), which was 0% (Table 1). Because the rate of
Discussion
A high coverage rate of HBV vaccination is crucial in decreasing the prevalence of HBV infection. A coverage rate as high as 97% for younger children and infants was found in the 2004 survey (Table 1). According to the Taiwan Center of Disease Control data, the national coverage rate was increased to 97% in the 2002 birth cohort. Moreover, to ensure a high coverage rate, the government requests students to present their vaccination records when they enter primary school.19 If they do not
References (35)
- et al.
Hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus: a prospective study of 22,707 men in Taiwan
Lancet
(1981) - et al.
Long-term efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine, booster policy, and impact of hepatitis B virus mutants
Vaccine
(2005) - et al.
Long-term immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccination and policy for booster: an Italian multicentre study
Lancet
(2005) - et al.
A mass hepatitis B vaccination program in Taiwan: its preparation, results, and reasons for uncompleted vaccinations
Vaccine
(1994) - et al.
Early predictor of the efficacy of immunoprophylaxis against perinatal hepatitis B transmission: analysis of prophylaxis failure
Vaccine
(1991) - et al.
Hepatitis B surface antigenemia at birth: a long-term follow up study
J Pediatr
(1998) - et al.
Humoral response to recombinant hepatitis B virus vaccine at birth: role of HLA and beyond
Clin Immunol
(2000) - et al.
Association of HLA-DR14-DR52 with low responsiveness to hepatitis B vaccine in Chinese residents in Taiwan
Vaccine
(1993) - et al.
Response to supplementary vaccination with recombinant or plasma hepatitis B vaccine in healthy non-responding children
Vaccine
(1994) - et al.
Comparative immunogenicity of a PreS/S hepatitis B vaccine in non- and low responders to conventional vaccine
Vaccine
(2006)
Vertical transmission of hepatitis B antigen in Taiwan
N Engl J Med
Incidence of hepatitis B virus infections in preschool children in Taiwan
J Infect Dis
Baseline seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in children in Taipei, 1984: a study just before mass hepatitis B vaccination program in Taiwan
J Med Virol
Hepatitis B virus infection and chronic liver disease in Taiwan
Acta Hepatogastroenterol
A mass vaccination program in Taiwan against hepatitis B virus infection in infants of hepatitis B surface antigen-carrier mothers
JAMA
Prevention of hepatitis B with hepatitis B vaccine
N Engl J Med
Seroepidemiologic survey for hepatitis B virus infection in Taiwan: the effect of hepatitis B mass immunization
J Infect Dis
Cited by (273)
Hepatitis during childhood
2023, Comprehensive Guide to Hepatitis AdvancesHepatitis B Virus DNA Integration Drives Carcinogenesis and Provides a New Biomarker for HBV-related HCC
2023, Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and HepatologyControversies in Treating Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Discordant Serologic Results
2021, Clinics in Liver DiseasePredictors of hepatitis B and C virus reactivation in patients with psoriasis treated with biologic agents: a 9-year multicenter cohort study
2021, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyChronicles of HBV and the Road to HBV Cure
2023, Livers
Supported by grants from the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH-94S004) and the Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taipei, Taiwan (DOH94-DC-1042).