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Increasing Hepatitis B Vaccine Prevalence Among Refugee Children Arriving in the United States, 2006-2012.
Abstract
Objectives
To determine whether the addition of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine to national immunization programs improved vaccination rates among refugee children, a marginalized population with limited access to care.Methods
The sample included 2291 refugees younger than 19 years who completed HBV screening after arrival in the United States. Children were categorized by having been born before or after the addition of the 3-dose HBV vaccine to their birth country's national immunization program. The outcome was serological evidence of immunization.Results
The odds of serological evidence of HBV immunization were higher for children born after the addition of HBV vaccine to their birth country's national immunization program (adjusted odds ratio = 2.54; 95% confidence interval = 2.04, 3.15).Conclusions
National HBV vaccination programs have contributed to the increase in HBV vaccination coverage observed among US-bound refugee children.Public health implications
Ongoing public health surveillance is needed to ensure that vaccine rates are sustained among diverse, conflict-affected, displaced populations.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.