Hepatitis B Virus Prevalence and Vaccination Rates among Hispanic Injection Drug Users Participating in a Vaccination Campaign

Abstract

Injection drug users are at high risk for hepatitis B virus infections. Nevertheless, few concerted efforts have been made to provide injectors with access to an available, safe, and effective vaccine. A campaign to screen and vaccinate injectors was conducted at syringe exchange programs in Chicago, Illinois, and Hartford and Bridgeport, Connecticut. Injectors with no evidence of past hepatitis B infection were eligible for vaccination. Eligible injectors were offered the three doses of vaccine and questioned about their past and current drug use, their sociodemographics, their understanding of hepatitis infections, and their motivation for participating in the study. Disease prevalence, vaccination rates, and the answers to study questions were analyzed comparing the sample of Hispanic to non-Hispanic injectors. We screened 1970 injectors, 860 of whom were eligible for vaccination. Of those, 591 received at least one dose of the vaccine. Hispanics comprised 30.9% of those screened, 24.9% of those eligible, and 25.2% of those receiving at least one dose. Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanic Whites or non-Hispanic Blacks to have already been infected with hepatitis B—55.6% for Hispanics versus 46.5% for non-Hispanics. Although it is impossible to generalize from our study population to Hispanic injectors as a whole, it seems apparent that if greater efforts are made to promote hepatitis B vaccination among Hispanics, high rates of vaccination can be achieved.