Background: We report on an outbreak of hepatitis A among men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and its associated healthcare resource burden, the strategies used to control the outbreak and the role of past and current hepatitis A vaccination policy and practice in England.
Methods: National surveillance of hepatitis A, including reference laboratory confirmation and molecular sequencing, and a case questionnaire, was enhanced in 2017 to collect demographic and risk information, disease severity and healthcare utilisation. National Health Service (NHS) data was used to calculate associated healthcare costs.
Results: During the outbreak period (July 2016 to January 2018), 670 confirmed cases were identified in England, caused by three distinct viral strains. The public health response included raising public and professional awareness, reinforcing vaccine recommendations for MSM, contact tracing for post-exposure vaccination, and mass community vaccination where spill-over of infection into the general population occurred. Hepatitis A vaccine was centrally procured to ensure sexual health clinics in England could offer vaccination to MSM. Outbreak associated healthcare costs were estimated to be approximately £1,500,000.
Conclusions: While MSM are at increased risk of hepatitis A infection, inconsistent implementation of MSM vaccination policy in previous years led to an increasingly susceptible MSM population. The large number of cases, hospital admission rate and public health actions contributed to a significant healthcare burden. Recommending hepatitis A vaccination for MSM and clarifying commissioning responsibilities is essential to prevent future outbreaks.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6668220 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2019.100014 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Lessons from COVID-19 in Taiwan's long-term care facilities: A narrative review.
J Formos Med Assoc
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7, Chung Shan S. Rd.(Zhongshan S. Rd.), Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City, 100225, Taiwan, ROC; College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No.1 Jen Ai road section 1, Taipei 100, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address:
The coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted long-term care facilities (LTCFs), revealing vulnerabilities due to residents' advanced age, comorbidities, and facility infrastructures. In Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Control Center implemented a range of strategies to protect LTCF residents. These included early containment measures to allow time for preparing pharmaceutical intervention, the establishment of infection prevention and control guidelines, the implementation of comprehensive screening and testing protocols, the prioritization of vaccination for both residents and staff, and the expansion of the national stockpile of oral antiviral agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantum vaccinology: A new science and epistemological abstraction framework for developing new vaccines and understanding the generation of the immune response.
Vaccine
January 2025
Health and Biotechnology (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.; Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.
Receipt of respiratory vaccines among patients with heart failure in a multicenter health system registry.
Vaccine
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Background: Heart failure affects people of all ages and is a leading cause of death for both men and women in most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Infections are common causes of hospitalizations in heart failure, with respiratory infections as the most frequent diagnosis. Vaccinations provide significant protection against preventable respiratory infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA systematic review to identify research gaps in studies modeling MenB vaccinations against Neisseria infections.
PLoS One
January 2025
School of Mathematics, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom.
The genus Neisseria includes two major human pathogens: N. meningitidis causing bacterial meningitis/septicemia and N. gonorrhoeae causing gonorrhoea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeroconversion and dynamics of IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the pandemic: A two-month observation cohort study on the population of Sleman in Indonesia.
PLoS One
January 2025
Sleman Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Background: This study describes the seroconversion and serodynamics of IgG antibodies against the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population of Sleman District, Yogyakarta Special Province. We aim to identify possible factors that correlate with the seroconversion and serodynamics of IgG antibodies against the RBD of SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: We performed a longitudinal study of the population at Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!