School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Travel Med Infect Dis. 2009 Nov;7(6):344-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2009.03.008. Epub 2009 May 9.
Southeast Asia and East Asia are regarded as highly endemic regions for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and include many popular destinations for Australian travellers. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate the extent of pre-travel health advice, the prevalence of behaviours with HBV infection risks and the prevalence of HBV vaccination amongst Australian travellers to Southeast Asia and East Asia.
In 2004, a telephone survey was conducted amongst Australians, who had travelled overseas to Southeast Asia and East Asia in the past three years for three nights or more.
Three hundred and nine travellers aged 14 years and over completed the interview, including 138 males (45%) and 171 females (55%). Respondents travelled for leisure (64%), business (20%), and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) (16%). The most common destinations were Indonesia (34%), Thailand (32%), and China (27%). About half of the travellers (54%) sought vaccination specific health advice before travel of which about half (56%) had sought this advice more than six weeks before travel. Just over one quarter of travellers reported receiving HBV vaccination (28%) of whom most (70%) were vaccinated at least three weeks before travel. About half of the travellers (49%) had participated in at least one activity with HBV risk during their last overseas trip. Of those travellers aged 18 years and over who either had no HBV vaccination or who were unsure, about half (49%) had participated in at least one activity with HBV risk during their last overseas trip.
Australian travellers to Southeast Asia and East Asia commonly undertake activities with a risk of exposure to HBV. Hepatitis B vaccination coverage amongst this group remains low. It is important that travellers to this region seek travel health advice from a qualified source, which will include a risk assessment for hepatitis B vaccination.
东南亚和东亚被认为是乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）的高度流行地区，也是许多澳大利亚旅行者的热门目的地。本研究旨在评估前往东南亚和东亚的澳大利亚旅行者接受旅行前健康咨询的程度、具有 HBV 感染风险行为的流行情况以及 HBV 疫苗接种的流行情况。
2004 年，对过去 3 年在东南亚和东亚旅行超过 3 晚的澳大利亚旅行者进行了电话调查。
309 名年龄在 14 岁及以上的旅行者完成了访谈，其中男性 138 人（45%），女性 171 人（55%）。受访者旅行的目的是休闲（64%）、商务（20%）和探亲访友（16%）。最常见的目的地是印度尼西亚（34%）、泰国（32%）和中国（27%）。约一半的旅行者（54%）在旅行前寻求过疫苗接种相关的健康咨询，其中约一半（56%）在旅行前 6 周以上寻求过该咨询。略超过四分之一的旅行者（28%）报告接种了 HBV 疫苗，其中大多数（70%）在旅行前至少 3 周接种了疫苗。约一半的旅行者（49%）在最近一次海外旅行中至少参加过一项具有 HBV 风险的活动。在那些没有接种 HBV 疫苗或不确定是否接种的 18 岁及以上的旅行者中，约有一半（49%）在最近一次海外旅行中至少参加过一项具有 HBV 风险的活动。
前往东南亚和东亚的澳大利亚旅行者经常从事具有 HBV 暴露风险的活动。该人群中 HBV 疫苗接种率仍然较低。前往该地区的旅行者应向合格的来源寻求旅行健康咨询，其中包括乙型肝炎疫苗接种风险评估。
