RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Hepatitis B vaccination and injecting drug users
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 444
OP 447
VO 54
IS 503
A1 John Budd
A1 Roy Robertson
A1 Rob Elton
YR 2004
UL http://bjgp.org/content/54/503/444.abstract
AB This study seeks to test the feasibility of vaccinating injecting drug users for hepatitis B in primary care and to identify predictors of poor immune response. Two hundred and seventy-five injecting drug users were identified from the case notes of a large general practice in an area of high multiple deprivation in northwest Edinburgh and, where appropriate, offered hepatitis B vaccination followed by a post-vaccination serological test. We concluded that hepatitis B vaccination of drug users in primary care is both feasible and effective. This study was unable to identify a group at risk of vaccine failure, however, it found post-vaccination serological testing to be problematic and potentially misleading. Therefore, we would not recommend its routine use in a primary care setting. Significantly, prolonged primary courses were not associated with reduced efficacy. The findings indicate that an appropriate vaccination schedule for primary care should be flexible to maximise compliance.