Increasing Hepatitis B Vaccine Prevalence Among Refugee Children Arriving in the United States, 2006-2012.

HEALTH of refugee children; HEPATITIS B vaccines; TWENTY-first century; REFUGEES; IMMUNIZATION; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; VACCINES

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)