Arnot R
NBC's Dateline and Today, New York, NY, USA.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1998 Jul;17(7 Suppl):S26-9. doi: 10.1097/00006454-199807001-00002.
Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, hepatitis B virus continues to be a major health threat to populations in both developed and undeveloped countries. In undeveloped countries, this virus often infects children, who then have a high risk of progressing to chronicity. In developed countries, adolescents and adults are at risk of hepatitis B virus transmission during sexual contact. Those who progress to chronic hepatitis B risk premature death and serve as a reservoir for virus transmission.
Barriers to global control of hepatitis B virus and strategies for increasing awareness of vaccination for reducing risk for contracting hepatitis B were reviewed.
With the varied patterns of infection and transmission, multiple strategies and recommendations have been proposed by health organizations around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has targeted hepatitis B as one of eight infectious diseases that should be controlled through vaccination efforts. Canada and the United States have recently recommended universal hepatitis B vaccination for their adolescent populations.
This hard-to-reach cohort may benefit from mass media educational efforts, especially the use of television. Control of hepatitis B virus continues to be elusive; therefore, an ongoing commitment to hepatitis B vaccination programs is warranted.
尽管有安全有效的疫苗，但乙型肝炎病毒仍然是发达国家和不发达国家人群面临的主要健康威胁。在不发达国家，这种病毒常常感染儿童，这些儿童随后发展为慢性感染的风险很高。在发达国家，青少年和成年人在性接触期间有感染乙型肝炎病毒的风险。那些发展为慢性乙型肝炎的人有过早死亡的风险，并成为病毒传播的传染源。
回顾了全球控制乙型肝炎病毒的障碍以及提高疫苗接种意识以降低感染乙型肝炎风险的策略。
鉴于感染和传播模式各异，世界各地的卫生组织已提出多种策略和建议。世界卫生组织（WHO）已将乙型肝炎列为应通过疫苗接种努力加以控制的八种传染病之一。加拿大和美国最近建议对其青少年人群普遍接种乙型肝炎疫苗。
这一难以触及的人群可能会从大众媒体教育活动中受益，特别是电视的使用。乙型肝炎病毒的控制仍然难以实现；因此，有必要持续致力于乙型肝炎疫苗接种计划。
